GMW: U.S. MISLED THE WORLD ON BIOTECH FOODS VICTORY

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GMW: U.S. MISLED THE WORLD ON BIOTECH FOODS " VICTORY "

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:41:30 GMT

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

 

 

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despite claims of victory by the US Administration and the

biotechnology industry - widely reported in the media in February 2006

- the three countries that started the WTO trade dispute against the

European Union (US, Canada and Argentina) failed to win most of their

arguments!

 

preliminary analysis of the WTO's leaked report available in the

briefing 'Looking behind the US spin' is online at

www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/WTO_briefing.pdf

 

 

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MEDIA ADVISORY Friends of the Earth Europe

 

For immediate use: 28 February, 2006

 

 

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LEAKED REPORT: U.S. MISLED THE WORLD ON BIOTECH FOODS " VICTORY "

WTO ruling does not prevent countries from restricting or banning GM

foods

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BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) / WASHINGTON DC (US) 28 February 2006 - Friends of

the Earth International made available online today a confidential

World Trade Organization ruling on the trade dispute on biotech, or

genetically modified (GM) foods. [1]

 

The 1000-page report, which was distributed earlier this month only to

the countries involved in the dispute, was leaked to Friends of the

Earth, which published today February 28 a preliminary analysis in the

briefing 'Looking behind the US spin'. [2]

 

The leaked report reveals that:

 

- despite claims of victory by the US Administration and the

biotechnology industry - widely reported in the media in February

2006- the three countries that started the trade dispute against the

European Union (US, Canada and Argentina) failed to win most of their

arguments;

 

- the World Trade Organization (WTO) did not rule on two of the most

important questions, namely whether GM foods are effectively the same

as non-GM foods and if they are safe.

 

" The WTO ruling is not a victory for the US administration and the

biotech giants. Countries around the world should continue to enforce

tough legislation protecting their citizens and the environment from

the risks of genetically modified crops, " said Juan Lopez, GM Campaign

Coordinator of Friends of the Earth International.

 

According to Friends of the Earth International the WTO is not and

should not be the appropriate body to deal with conflicts between

trade rules and environmental protection since it ignores the

internationally recognised 'Precautionary Principle' and considers

only trade principles.

 

The leaked WTO report argues that:

 

* Europe's 4-year moratorium on GM Organisms (GMOs) only broke trade

rules because it caused " undue delay " in the approval of new GM foods.

The WTO dismissed eight other complaints in relation to the moratorium,

and did not recommend any further action, since the moratorium ended in

2004.

 

* There was also an " undue delay " in the EU's approval procedures for

over 20 specified biotech products. However, eleven other claims of

the complainants related to the product-specific EU measures were

dismissed by the WTO Panel.

 

* National bans by EU member states broke trade rules because the risk

assessments used by the countries in question did not comply with the

WTO requirements;

 

" This is the report that the WTO didn't want the public to see. It

reveals that the big corporations that stand behind the WTO failed to

get the big win they were hoping for. Free trade proponents needed a

clear victory in this dispute to be able to push governments in the EU

and the developing world to accept genetically modified food. They

failed and now is the time to build a consensus that the WTO, with its

business-only agenda, is the wrong place to decide on what people eat

and how we protect our environment. " said Adrian Bebb, GMO campaigner

for Friends of the Earth Europe in Brussels.

 

Friends of the Earth Europe today launched a cyber action

(http://www.bite-back.org/objection/our_food.php ) urging the public

to call on their Governments to reject the WTO as a forum to decide on

environmental trade disputes and to support the right of countries to

ban GMOs.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Juan Lopez, Friends of the Earth International GM coordinator, Tel:

+34-6-25980582 (Spanish mobile number)

Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe GMO expert, Tel: +49 1609 490

1163 (German mobile number)

David Waskow, Friends of the Earth US Tel: + 1 202 492 4660

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The WTO report is available online in two parts at:

http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/WTO_decision.htm

 

[2] The Friends of the Earth preliminary analysis in the briefing

'Looking behind the US spin' is online at

http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/WTO_briefing.pdf

 

 

 

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