Biosafety Meeting in Curitiba: Towards a strict GMO labelling?
clara | 14.03.2006 12:01 | Bio-technology | Ecology | World
On Monday, 13 March the Third Conference on the Biosafety Protocol (MOP3) started in Curitiba, Brazil. The Biosafety Protocol is the only international treaty that sets obligatory rules for the trade with GMOs. Main issue of this meeting is the question how GMOs have to be labelled (Article 18). GMO producers favour the very vague label that something "may contain" GMOs, while most countries want a clear description of which GMO is contained in a shipment. (background of COP8/MOP3 meeting ).
The conflicts within the Brazilian government are fairly obvious now: while the minister for agriculture is pro-gmo, the minister for environment is against it. The opening session of the meeting on Monday therefore was unusually sharp for a UN meeting. The gouvernour of Paraná, Roberto Requião, opened the meeting with a strong statement in favour of labelling. He compared a "may contain" formulation with shops labelling meat as "this may contain rotten meat". (video) The minister for environment, Marina Silva, wasn't even present at the meeting. According to environmental groups, she refused to take the Chair until Brazil had changed its position. (videos and reports.)
While 5000 delegates discuss the official texts, the protest movement against GMOs is expected in even stronger numbers. For an action camp of Via Campensia and MST - 20km away from the official conference - about 6000 participants are expected. Others organize an alternative "Global Forum of the Civil Society" on the conference grounds.
In the week prior to the MOP3 , a conference on agricultural reforms took place in Porto Alegre, which - among other actions - resulted in the destruction of a research lab for eucalyptus - a tree that is responsible for another form of destructive monoculture.
The MOP3 meeting (13-21 March) will be followed by the COP8 meeting on Biodiversity where a key issue will efforts by Canada, UK, Monsanto and others to introduce terminator seeds.
[ videos & reports at Biotrade Watch | Biotech IMC | Ban Terminator | Friends of the Earth International |
While 5000 delegates discuss the official texts, the protest movement against GMOs is expected in even stronger numbers. For an action camp of Via Campensia and MST - 20km away from the official conference - about 6000 participants are expected. Others organize an alternative "Global Forum of the Civil Society" on the conference grounds.
In the week prior to the MOP3 , a conference on agricultural reforms took place in Porto Alegre, which - among other actions - resulted in the destruction of a research lab for eucalyptus - a tree that is responsible for another form of destructive monoculture.
The MOP3 meeting (13-21 March) will be followed by the COP8 meeting on Biodiversity where a key issue will efforts by Canada, UK, Monsanto and others to introduce terminator seeds.
[ videos & reports at Biotrade Watch | Biotech IMC | Ban Terminator | Friends of the Earth International |
clara
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