GMW: Africa in revolt over GM food/African countries 'forced' to accept GM food aid

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GMW:_Africa_in_revolt_over_GM_food/African_countries_'forced'_to_accept_GM_food_\

aid

" GM_WATCH "

Tue, 4 May 2004 18:41:12 +0100

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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1.African groups criticise U.S. over GMO food aid - Reuters

2.African countries 'forced' to accept GM food aid - Mail & Guardian

3.Africa in revolt over GM food - Sunday Times

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1.African groups criticise U.S. over GMO food aid

Reuters, 05.04.04

http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2004/05/04/rtr1358095.html

 

JOHANNESBURG, May 4 (Reuters) - Some 60 African farm campaigners criticised the

United States on Tuesday for what they said was relentless pressure on Sudan and

Angola to accept gene-altered food aid to avert hunger.

 

In March Sudan imposed restrictions on the importation of genetically modified

food aid, demanding that it be certified as GM-free first, while Angola said it

wanted all GM grains milled before shipment to its hungry.

 

" Both decisions were strongly criticised by the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) and the World Food Programme (WFP) and constant pressure has

been applied in both countries to remove the restrictions, " the groups said.

 

" The scenario presented by WFP and USAID to these African countries is either

they accept GM food or face dire consequences. These actions are totally

unacceptable. "

 

Those who signed the statement were farmer, consumer, environment and

development groups and included South Africa-based African Centre for Biosafety

and Biowatch, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Namibia's Earthlife Africa and

Sudan's Ecoterra.

 

A WFP spokesman in South Africa said the U.N. agency respected national

legislation regarding gene-altered foods and had sought alternatives when

governments refused to accept GM food, as Zambia did in 2002.

 

" We abide by a country's legislation. We have sent milled grains to countries

that demanded it such as Zimbabwe and sent GM-free food to Zambia when it banned

GM maize, " Richard Lee, a WFP spokesman in South Africa, told Reuters.

 

A USAID official was not available to comment.

 

GM food aid is a controversial subject in southern Africa, where half a dozen

countries faced severe food shortages in 2002 and 2003 mainly because of a

drought and poor farm policies.

 

The 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommends that its

members accept milled GM grains.

 

Food shortages in parts of Sudan are blamed on weather as well as two decades of

civil war. The groups said they wanted Sudan, Angola and other countries that

faced shortages to be allowed choice in whether or not to accept GM food aid.

 

Copyright 2004, Reuters News Service

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2.African countries 'forced' to accept GM food aid

Mail & Guardian, Johannesburg, South Africa

04 May 2004

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=65792

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) should stop forcing African countries to accept

genetically modified (GM) food aid, various groups demanded on Tuesday.

 

" The groups are demanding that the WFP and USAid immediately desist from

misleading the governments of Angola and Sudan with a scenario of no choice, and

forcing them to accept GM food aid, " a statement said.

 

More than 60 groups representing farmer, consumer, environmental and development

organisations from 15 African countries sent an open letter of protest to the

WFP on Tuesday.

 

They were objecting to the pressure being put on Sudan and Angola to lift their

restrictions on GM food aid.

 

Sudan has asked that food aid be certified " GM free " . Angola has said it will

accept GM food aid only if the whole GM grain is first milled.

 

Even though the Sudanese government adopted an interim waiver on its GM food

restriction until July, USAid cut off food aid to the country.

 

" The US government has since continued to exert enormous pressure on Sudan, with

the result that the Sudanese government has relented and extended the waiver for

a further period of six months, allowing the distribution of GM food to continue

until January 2005, " the statement said.

 

The WFP told Angola it will receive significantly less food aid if it continues

to insist GM grain first be milled.

 

The protesting groups said the WFP should have guaranteed the right of these

countries to reject or impose restrictions on GM food aid.

 

" The scenario presented by the WFP and USAid to these African countries, is

either they accept GM food or face dire consequences. These actions are totally

unacceptable, " said Bryan Ashe of Earthlife Africa.

 

Mariam Mayet of the Africa Centre for Biosafety said: " The WFP obviously has

learnt very little from the Southern African food aid crisis, when several

Southern African countries imposed restrictions on GM food aid.

 

" These countries too faced overwhelming pressure from USAid and the WFP.

 

" However, Zambia, which imposed an outright ban on the acceptance of GM food

aid, not only managed to cope with its crisis, but is now even able to export

non-GM food to its neighbours. "

 

A report, GM Food Aid: Africa Denied Choice Once Again, released on Tuesday,

says there are non-GM alternatives at national, regional and international

levels, and donors should make these available to Sudan and Angola.

 

The statement said the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the

United Nations have both officially recognised that Sudan has an abundance of

food available in the country.

 

There are also alternatives to GM food in Angola.

 

" Non-GM alternatives need to be fully explored in Angola. Furthermore, regional

and international non-GM alternative sources also exist. "

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3.Africa in revolt over GM food

Sunday Times Online, Tuesday May 04, 2004

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/newsst/newsst1083674336.asp

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) should stop forcing African countries to accept

genetically modified (GM) food aid, various groups demanded on Tuesday.

 

" The groups are demanding that the WFP and USAID immediately desist from

misleading the governments of Angola and Sudan with a scenario of no choice, and

forcing them to accept GM food aid, " a statement said.

 

More than 60 groups representing farmer, consumer, environmental and development

organisations from 15 African countries sent an open letter of protest to the

WFP on Tuesday.

 

They were objecting to the pressure being put on Sudan and Angola to lift their

restrictions on GM food aid.

 

Sudan has asked that food aid be certified " GM free " . Angola has said it will

accept GM food aid only if the whole GM grain is first milled.

 

Even though the Sudanese government adopted an interim waiver on its GM food

restriction until July, USAID cut off food aid to the country.

 

" The US government has since continued to exert enormous pressure on Sudan, with

the result that the Sudanese government has relented and extended the waiver for

a further period of six months, allowing the distribution of GM food to continue

until January 2005, " the statement said.

 

The WFP told Angola it would receive significantly less food aid if it continued

to insist GM grain first be milled.

 

The protesting groups said the WFP should have guaranteed the right of these

countries to reject or impose restrictions on GM food aid.

 

" The scenario presented by the WFP and USAID to these African countries, is

either they accept GM food or face dire consequences. These actions are totally

unacceptable, " said Bryan Ashe of Earthlife Africa.

 

Mariam Mayet of the Africa Centre for Biosafety said: " The WFP obviously has

learnt very little from the southern African food aid crisis, when several

southern African countries imposed restrictions on GM food aid.

 

" These countries too faced overwhelming pressure from USAID and the WFP.

 

" However, Zambia, which imposed an outright ban on the acceptance of GM food

aid, not only managed to cope with its crisis, but is now even able to export

non-GM food to its neighbours. "

 

A report, " GM Food Aid: Africa denied choice once again " , released on Tuesday,

says there are non-GM alternatives at national, regional and international

levels, and donors should make these available to Sudan and Angola.

 

The statement said the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the

United Nations have both officially recognised that Sudan has an abundance of

food available in the country.

 

There are also alternatives to GM food in Angola. " Non-GM alternatives need to

be fully explored in Angola. Furthermore, regional and international non-GM

alternative sources also exist. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

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