WTO wants to straightjacket our right to say no to GMOs

The headquarters for the WTO are in Geneva, Switzerland. Many people in the world see this building as a place where only the privileged can access. Sorry folks “Private party”! Certainly, the concerns of the people rarely seem to penetrate those walls; the agenda for the WTO is set by big corporations, and calls for social and environmental goals seems to fall by the way side. The WTO sits at the heart of a flawed system – its not fair, its not transparent, it’s not sustainable.

To challenge that sense of privilege and power, Greenpeace showed up one morning and renamed the WTO the ‘World Transgenic Order’. The EU has recently adopted the strictest GMO regulations in the world. The US is trying to use the WTO to challenge the European Union's ban on genetically modified organisms.

If you have a look at the picture it’s quite a scene- we have the US literally pouring unwanted genetically modified food down the throats of a straight jacketed public. Quite to the point.

The US challenge amounts to a scare tactic to "encourage" countries to open their markets to genetically engineered (GE) food. Many countries fear that if they reject genetically modified organisms, they will be met with huge trade sanctions (which could be worth hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars) in the WTO.

Yes you read that right. The WTO can fine countries billions of dollars if they don’t comply with its rules. So if you, the consumer, don’t want to be eating genetically modified food, your country could have no way of opposing the introduction of genetically modified food to your country. Are you feeling a little force fed yet? Who really wants genetically modified food? Massive corporate entities like Monsanto, producers of genetically modified grain, actually drive the agendas at the WTO. They want you to accept genetically modified organisms because they are going to make a lot of money out of it, and hell, they could even fine you if you raise an objection.

There are appropriate forums that do listen to voices raised by concerned people, such as the United Nations. At Montreal, Canada in 2000 a ‘Biosafety protocol’ was put forward which needs 50 countries to sign it to make it legally binding. The ‘precautionary principle’ is at the heart of this agreement, and means that countries have the right to ban or restrict the import and use of genetically engineered organisms when there is a lack of scientific knowledge or consensus regarding their safety. Problem is, the WTO has the power to overrule these types of worldwide agreements, but it doesn’t have any formal way to hear the voices of concerned civil society groups. It’s all behind closed doors, decided by judges the people did not elect. When the US lodges a complaint against the EU, using the WTO as a tool, it is actually aiming at the heart of the Biosafety protocol, the one UN rule that countries from the South have to say no to genetically modified organisms.

Once that Protocol is overruled at the WTO level, the transnational genetic engineering and agro-chemical industries that back Bush, can try and force open new markets for their products. These 'new frontiers' are in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Saying ‘no’ won’t be an option.

Sebastien Risso, Greenpeace EU advisor for trade issues in Montreal said, "The WTO is increasingly proving to be an undemocratic and non-transparent political tool used by big business to erode the environment, public health and consumer rights. Given the clear WTO bias, which favours trade liberalisation over other legitimate policy goals, the WTO is now facing a severe legitimacy crisis and therefore must be prevented from further expanding its mandate."

"What is needed now is a thorough assessment of the rules governing the global trade system, and substantial reform, which frees people from forced trade. The world needs a strong multilateral system in which peace and sustainability hold primacy over narrow corporate interest and national egoism," Risso concluded.

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