PRESS RELEASE
8th November 2000

Biotech companies should be forced to pay for environmental and health damage from GMOs or be refused licenses for their products says Friends of the Earth. Friends of the Earth Europe published a new briefing on liability as the Conciliation procedure between the Parliament and the Council began in Brussels to finalise the revision of the European Union Directive 90/220, on deliberate releases of GMOs into the environment.

Top of the political agenda will be the brewing argument between the European Parliament, Commission and Member States over whether to include liability for GMOs in the new law now or accept industry’s position that this can wait.

Liana Stupples, Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said, "The biotech companies are always claiming their GM crops and food are safe. If they are so safe then why aren’t they prepared to pay if something goes wrong? Our politicians should specifically legislate to make the biotech companies liable on GMOs before allowing anymore to be released. If they don’t it will be the victims of this unproven technology - the polluted farmers and consumers - who will pay."

Friends of the Earth today published a briefing: "No GMO Liability? No Releases" detailing why specific GMO environmental and product specific liability laws are urgently required, the inadequacy of existing laws and what is needed instead.

Already cases of GMO contamination in Europe have shown that the polluter is not being made to pay; instead farmers are likely to be pitted against neighbour farmers, retailers will have to seek redress for contaminated products they stock, and damage to birds and other wildlife will go un-compensated.

The briefing is available to download at: "No GMO Liability? No Releases" 

For more information:

Liana Stupples: 0044 20 7566 1680

Gill Lacroix. 0032 75 413 046

Friends of the Earth Europe, the European branch of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), is a network of 31 independent, national environmental organisations in 30 European countries. FoEE is the largest environmental network in Europe working at grassroots level with over 3000 local chapters.