Global coalition submits anti-GMO case to WTO

A coalition of 15 environmental, nature and rural organisations from Europe, Asia and the Americas, including Greenpeace has submitted evidence to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute panel that is currently considering a US-led complaint against the European Union ahead of next week when the first oral hearings will be held.

The 'Amicus Coalition' has filed an 'amicus curiae' brief that accuses the US of trying to scare developing countries into adopting the controversial technology. The coalition believes that the Bush administration wants the WTO to force the EU to accept GE food.

However Amicus doesn't think that the WTO has the legitimacy to decide what Europeans should eat. Neither should it enact decisions that interfere with environmental laws enshrined in mutlilateral environmental agreements, such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. To do so would subordinate consumer rights and environmental safety to narrow trade rules.

Our campaigner Charlie Kronick said: "It's not the job of the WTO to promote GMOs on behalf of the Bush administration and the biotech industry. Neither is it the job of a trade body to rule on environmental and health standards. This isn't about free trade, it's about forced trade, and more specifically about the US trying to force smaller countries to accept GE crops whether they like it or not.

"Our submission to the panel highlights the known and potential problems posed by GE crops. We're telling the WTO that the US complaint is designed to scare countries around the world into toeing the line."

Amicus is calling on the WTO to the challenge because it risks undermining a country's ability to set its own standards for GE crops and foods. The Coalition's submission states that:

-GE crops are being developed by corporations primarily to meet the needs of large farmers in the developed world;

-intellectual property rights and monopoly control of seeds by multinationals mean that poor farmers in developing countries are unlikely to benefit from GE crops;

-herbicide use may increase as a result of GE crops and GE yields are variable;

-Argentina is suffering harmful social, environmental and health effects from the introduction of GM crops, especially soya.

The Amicus Coalition also demonstrates that in spite of claims made that the safety of GE crops and foods is 'proven', risks to the environment are serious and may be irreversible. The brief underlines that:

-increased use of chemical weed killers may damage wildlife;

-contamination of non-GE crops and related wild species may arise;

-there has been no monitoring of GE crops for adverse effects;

If the European Union loses the case, it will have to pay compensation and/or face trade sanctions. Greenpeace fears that this outcome could also discourage other countries from implementing appropriate measures to protect the environment from GMOs and effectively force them to accept GE foods and crops.

The US, Canada and Argentina argue that the European Union has violated WTO agreements by not authorising any new GMOs since 1998. As the largest producers of GE crops they have the most to lose from restrictions on trade in GE technology.

Find out More

- Click here to download the brief submitted to the WTO today

- To go Genewatch UK to find out more information about the WTO hearing

- Send an e-card and tell your friend's about what the US is trying to do

- Read our briefing on The US War on Biosafety

- Read our briefing on the Implications of the EU's New Labelling Rules

- Read our briefing on Governments Worldwide Require Labelling and Regulation of GMOs

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