GM contaminated papaya already on European markets?

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ubject: GMW: GM contaminated papaya already on European markets?

" GM WATCH " <info

Thu, 7 Jul 2005 10:30:14 +0100

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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" The Thai government's lies and total disregard for the GE papaya

contamination problem is directly putting Thai papaya exporters and

consumers of papaya around the world at risk. "

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Greenpeace International

www.greenpeace.org

Jul 7, 2005

http://www.ems.org/nws/2005/07/07/european_and_asi

 

Bangkok, 7 July 2005 - Greenpeace activists today dumped thousands of

papayas at the offices of Thailand's Department of Agriculture in a

protest against the government's utter disregard for consumer and

environmental protection from threats caused by the spread of illegal

genetically engineered (GE) papaya in Thailand. The threat also

concerns many

European countries that import papaya from Thailand; it is possible that

GE contaminated papaya is already on European markets.

 

" The Thai government's lies and total disregard for the GE papaya

contamination problem is directly putting Thai papaya exporters and

consumers of papaya around the world at risk. We demand that the

government

seriously and properly decontaminate Thai papaya farms before the GE

papaya reaches the global food chain. It won't be long until EU reacts

negatively against the entry of Thai papaya, " said Patwajee Srisuwan of

Greenpeace in Southeast Asia.

 

Greenpeace Southeast Asia today released new laboratory tests

confirming more GE papaya contamination in the northeastern provinces of

Kalasin, Mahasarakham and Chaiyaphum. Last month the group released

evidence

of GE papaya contamination in the Northern and Eastern regions of

Thailand. Government papers also indicate that GE contaminated papaya

seeds

may have been sold to 2,600 farmers in 34 Thai provinces (1).

 

Consumers in Thailand and in countries that import Thai papayas are now

at risk of consuming GE contaminated papaya, which has also been found

to contain antibiotic (tetracycline) resistant genes that contradict

the FAO/WHO Codex standards as well as strict legislations of the

European Union on GMOs in food.

 

In 2004, Thailand exported BHT 2.86 billion (57.3 million Euros) worth

of fresh and prepared or preserved fruits to Europe and Asia, a large

amount of which includes papaya and cocktails with papaya as part of the

ingredients, based on figures from the Thai Customs Department. The

main destinations for Thailand's fresh papaya and mixed fruit products

are

the Netherlands, Germany, France, UK, Belgium, Spain, Denmark,

Switzerland, Georgia, China, Japan and Hong Kong.

 

The EU does not allow the import of GE papaya and Thailand-based

companies such as Dole, Malee and Universal Food Co. (UFC), which have

large

papaya-related exports to the EU, stand to lose financially from this

GE papaya fiasco. Last year the German government launched an

investigation on papayas from Thailand, after the GE papaya

contamination scandal

broke.

 

ole, the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruits and

vegetables, sources papaya from Thailand for its operations in the EU

(2).

Malee exports to the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, while UFC

produces fruit products for large food suppliers like Sainsbury's,

Safeway, Libby, QP Corp., Sun Queen, Rykoff-Sextion and El Dorado (3).

 

In July 2004, Greenpeace Southeast Asia activists sealed off a

government-run GE papaya experimental station after scientific evidence

confirmed it was the source of contamination of one of Thailand's

staple food.

The Thai government ran a campaign to discredit Greenpeace and

consistently lied to public by declaring they have already

decontaminated Thai

papaya farms. Recent findings of widespread GE papaya contamination in

the country prove them otherwise, however.

 

For more information:

 

Patwajee Srisuwan, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Genetic Engineering

campaigner, +661 3815367

 

Ua-phan Chamnan-ua, Greenpeace Southeast Asia media officer, +661

9282426

 

Notes to editor:

 

(1) The problem of contamination is widespread. The latest Dept of

Agriculture documents say that last year the government collected 8,912

samples of papaya and found GE papaya contamination in 329 samples which

came from 85 farms. The DOA destroyed only 83 of the said farms.

 

(2) Source: www.customs.go.th

 

The Royal Thai Customs department reports that in 2004 prepared or

preserved fruit exports totaled around BHT 2.9 billion last year.

Breakdown

of exports: BHT 113 million for papaya in airtight containers, BHT 24

million for fresh papaya, and BHT 2.86 million for mixed fruits.

 

(3) A statement from Dole said the company sources its papayas from

Southern Thailand.

 

(4) Sources: www.malee.co.th , www.ufc.co.th

 

 

 

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