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WTO trade war on GMOs: Europe must fight ruling
Friends of the Earth calls for a new world trade system
Brussels/Geneva, 8 February 2006 - Friends of the Earth Europe today urged
the European Union to take the global lead and work for a new international system that, in contrast to World Trade Organisation (WTO), prioritises human health and environmental safety over free trade rules.
The call comes following yesterdays draft ruling by the WTO in Geneva that Europe's precautionary stance on genetically modified (GM) foods and crops "violates" trade rules. The WTO believes that national safety bans on GM products and Europe's de facto moratorium on new GM foods between 1999 and
2004 were barriers to trade. The ruling on the transatlantic trade dispute over GM foods was sent to the EU on one side, and to the United States, Canada and Argentina on the other.
Alexandra Wandel, Friends of the Earth Europe's Trade Co-ordinator in Brussels, said:
"Europe should fight this decision and lead the calls for a
new global trading system that protects people and the environment from the
worst excesses of industry. The WTO undermines democracy and puts business
interests before the welfare of the public. It should not be allowed to rule on what we eat or what our farmers grow."
Adrian Bebb, GM Food Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said:
"The
WTO has bluntly ruled that European safeguards should be sacrificed to
benefit biotech corporations. This will backfire and lead to even greater
opposition to genetically modified food and crops. Consumers worldwide will not be bullied into eating GM foods."
Wandel noted:
"The WTO is keeping its draft ruling secret. This sums up
everything that is wrong with the WTO. It is secretive, undemocratic and
biased towards business interests. The WTO should be the last institution to decide what people eat and grow in the fields."
In its defence during the WTO dispute the EU Commission had questioned
whether the WTO was the right place to solve such disputes. "There is a
serious question as to whether the WTO is the appropriate international
forum for resolving all the GMO issues that the Complainants have raised in
these case," it said. (1)
Friends of the Earth believes that an alternative dispute settlement
procedure is needed to solve trade and environmental conflicts and that international environment agreements need to be strengthened. This could be the International Court of Justice or the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Additionally, the UN Biosafety Protocol is an international agreement already in place that deals with trade in GMOs. (2)
Two new opinion polls highlighted again Europeans' opposition to GM foods. A
French poll by BVA reports that 78% of French people want a temporary ban on
GM crops. Similarly a Europe-wide poll published yesterday by the European Food Safety Authority states that 62% of Europeans are worried about GM products in food. (3)
An international campaign against the WTO dispute called "Bite-back - WTO:
Hands off our food!" - is supported by 750 organisations representing some 60 million people (see www.bite-back.org). The coalition states that the industry-friendly WTO is not the right place to decide what food Europeans should eat. (2)
The "Bite Back" citizens' objection was initiated by Friends of the Earth International with the support of consumer, development and farmers' groups, trade unions, research institutes and citizens from over 100 countries.
Notes:
(1) EU first written submission,
http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/download/Second_EU_Submission_to_WTO.pdf
(2) Is the WTO the only way? Safeguarding Multilateral Environmental
Agreements from international trade rules and settling trade and environment disputes outside the WTO. A briefing paper by Adelphi Consult, Friends of the Earth Europe and Greenpeace. Available at
http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2005/alternatives_wto.pdf
(3) See http://www.efsa.eu.int and http://www.agirpourlenvironnement.org/
A special media briefing on the GM trade dispute is available at :
www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/GMO_and_WTO_interim_briefing_Feb2006.pdf
as well as a fact sheet on GMOs and the WTO, see
www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/GMO_and_WTO_QA_Feb2006.pdf
En Français:
Briefing pour la presse sur le conflit commercial transatlantique sur les aliments modifiés génétiquement:
www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/GMO_et_WTO_briefing_intermediaire_Feb2006_FR.pdf
Les OGM en Europe et l'OMC - Questions réponses
www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/GMO_et_WTO_QR_Feb2006_FR.pdf
FOE report: Who benefits from GM crops, January 2006-02-07
http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/who_benefits_from_gm_crops_Jan_2006.pdf
Contact:
Alexandra Wandel, Friends of the Earth WTO expert, +49 172 748 3953
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth GMO expert, +49 1609 490 1163
Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.
