Stop Canadian Officials from overturning UN moratorium on terminator seeds

[Guest guest]

The ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration)

headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada issued a press release (posted

below) on Monday. They received a confidential memo that reveals that at a

United Nations meeting this week in Bangkok, the Canadian government will

attempt to overturn an international moratorium on Terminator seed

technology.

 

The Campaign has launched an ACTION ALERT in response:

http://www.thecampaign.org/alert_terminator.php

 

Terminator seeds are genetically engineered to be sterile and thereby

prevent farmers from saving seed. This is an extremely risky and

controversial technology. Some scientists worry about what could happen if

the terminator is unleashed on the environment. They fear that terminator

technology could migrate from one farm to another, or from a farm to wild

plants.

 

And activists in developing nations are concerned that the technology would

put too much power in the hands of a few international agribusinesses.

 

The Campaign has set up an ACTION ALERT that allows you to send an instant

e-mail to the following Canadian officials:

1) Prime Minister Paul Martin

2) Hon. Andy Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

3) F.B. Fadden, President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

 

Visit the following web address to TAKE ACTION NOW:

http://www.thecampaign.org/alert_terminator.php

 

Thanks for taking the time to contact these Canadian government officials.

 

Craig Winters

President

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

***************************************************************

 

February 7, 2005

 

ETC Group

News Release

7 February 2005

www.etcgroup.org

 

Canadian Government to Unleash Terminator Bombshell at UN Meeting: All-out

push for commercialisation of Sterile Seed Technology

 

A confidential document leaked today to ETC Group reveals that the Canadian

government, at a United Nations meeting in Bangkok (Feb 7-11), will attempt

to overturn an international moratorium on genetic seed sterilisation

technology (known universally as Terminator). Even worse, the Canadian

government has instructed its negotiators to " block consensus " on any other

option.

 

" Canada is about to launch a devastating kick in the stomach to the world's

most vulnerable farmers - the 1.4 billion people who depend on farm saved

seed, " said ETC Group Executive Director Pat Mooney speaking from Ottawa.

" The Canadian government is doing the dirty work for the multinational gene

giants and the US government. Even Monsanto wasn't prepared to be this

upfront and nasty. Canada is betraying Farmers' Rights and food sovereignty

everywhere. "

 

Terminator technology was first developed by the US government and the seed

industry to prevent farmers from re-planting saved seed and is considered

the most controversial and immoral agricultural application of genetic

engineering so far. When first made public in 1998, " suicide seeds "

triggered an avalanche of public opposition, forcing Monsanto to abandon the

technology and prompting the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to

impose a de facto moratorium on its further development. According to the

leaked instructions to Canadian negotiators at SBSTTA 10 (a scientific

advisory body to the CBD), Canada will insist on Wednesday (9 Feb.) that

governments accept the field testing and commercialization of Terminator

varieties (referred to as GURTS -- Genetic Use Restriction Technologies).

Canada will also attack an official UN report, prepared by an international

expert group, which is critical of the potential impacts of Terminator seeds

on small farmers and Indigenous Peoples. In stark contrast to Canada's

position, the expert report recommends that governments seek prohibitions on

the technology.

 

In Bangkok, civil society and Indigenous Peoples are calling on the Canadian

government to abandon its endorsement of Terminator and to join with other

governments to prohibit the technology once and for all. Many African and

Asian governments have called for Terminator to be banned and the European

Union has also been supportive of the existing moratorium.

 

" It is outrageous that Canada is backing an anti-farmer technology and

shameful that it will 'block consensus' on any other outcome. Governments

from around the world must not accept this bullying tactic, " says ETC

Group's Hope Shand from the negotiations in Bangkok. " If Canada blocks

decision-making on this issue, the moratorium will be in jeopardy and

terminator seeds will be commercialized ending up in the fields of small

farmers. "

 

The full leaked text of the Canadian government's instructions to its

negotiators on Terminator/GURTS follows.

 

Hope Shand and Jim Thomas of ETC Group can be contacted at SBSTTA

negotiations in Bangkok on cell phone +44 (0) 7752 106806 or by email

jim or hope

Pat Mooney (in Ottawa) +1 (613) 241-2267 etc

Kathy Jo Wetter (USA) +1 (919) 960-5223 email kjo

 

 

The Head of the Canadian Delegation in Bangkok is Robert McLean, Environment

Canada

email Robert.Mclean tel +1 (819) 997-1303

 

***

 

" Advice on the report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Genetic Use

Restriction Technologies (GURTS);

 

Canada has major reservations regarding the recommendations in the AHTEG

report. Canada notes that the experts were unable to reach consensus and

that while this is recognized in para. 15 of the report, this should have

been made clear in the recommendation section of the report. Unfortunately,

the report leaves the impression that consensus was achieved on all of the

recommendations when this was clearly not case and in particular in terms of

recommendation (b) which reads as follows, " In view of the current lack of

data, recommends that Parties and other Governments consider the development

of regulatory frameworks not to approve GURTs for field-testing and

commercial use. "

 

Canada will suggest that the document clearly indicate in the Annex that

there is no consensus on for the recommendations. Alternatively, the AHTEG

report can be referred to as the " Chairs' report " . Canada also believes that

the AHTEG report contains scientific inaccuracies and a lack of balance in

terms of reflecting both potential positive and negative impacts of this

technology, and these issues should be addressed before the report is

further distributed. We believe that it would be beneficial for Parties and

other governments to submit comments to the Executive Secretary/CHM to

represent national views to improve the accuracy of the document, and that

these be made available to both the 8j working group and COP.

 

Additionally, Canada will propose that SBSTTA adopt a recommendation for

decision at COP8 based on the revised wording of recommendation " b " below

and will propose this recommendation be incorporated for consideration at

the 8j meeting:

 

NEW WORDING for recommendation b) of AHTEG report

(b) In view of the current lack of data, recommend that Parties and other

Governments consider the development of domestic regulatory frameworks TO

ALLOW FOR THE EVALUATION OF NOVEL VARIETIES, INCLUDING THOSE WITH GURTS, FOR

FIELD TESTING AND COMMERCIAL USE BASED ON APPROPRIATE SCIENCE-BASED

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK/SAFETY ASSESSMENTS.

 

In Canada's opinion the revised wording we are suggesting, strengthens the

recommendation and provides for a strong scientific assessment of risk.

 

If we are unsuccessful in obtaining these additions (indication that

recommendations in the AHTEG report were not based on consensus OR agreement

to have national views submitted) AND changes to recommendation " B " --or any

other outcome which clearly addresses our concern over a defacto moratorium

on GURTS-- Canada is prepared to block consensus on this issue. "

 

 

 

---------

To be d from the News Update from The Campaign mailing list simply

below

http://www.thecampaign.org/cgi-bin/sment/s.cgi?r=1 & l=2 & e=fernwoods=:aol.com

 

 

AOL USERS:

One-Click Un Link Here