Thursday, May 15, 2008

Genetically-Modified Crops: To Be Explored or To Be Forbidden?

By: Andrey Ozharovskiy, ANPED

A comprehensive study of the consequences of GM crop usage was carried out by the Union for Biosafety of EECCA countries and was presented during NGO Consultations on CSD issues, carried out by ANPED in February last year. The NGOs from Belarus, Russia, Moldova and Ukraine came to the conclusion that modern agricultural biotechnology (use of GM crops) does not meet criteria of sustainable development and cannot help to reach MDGs. “We urge CSD to initiate moratorium on commercial use of GM crops in agriculture”, - called the NGOs.

Listed below are the main arguments against usage of GM Crops, developed at the above mentioned Consultations, based on extensive reviews of available research and reports:

• Problems caused by wide-scale application of genetically modified crops (GM crops) are gaining actuality and acuity year by year. Analysis of GM crops performance in agriculture demonstrates that they did not contribute to the progress in any programme areas stated in Chapter 16 of Agenda 21:

• There is no data confirming that GM crops increased the yield potential of a traditional variety. On the contrary, there is much evidence of the converse in for instance USA, Brazil, South Africa, Australia;

• Practice had demonstrated that the application of this technology led to the destruction of small scale farms and social destabilization in rural communities;

• GM-crops exacerbated the dependence of agrarian sector on pesticide use and stimulates further development and application of chemicals;

• GM crops threaten environmentally sustainable agricultural practices due to genetic and chemical contamination;

• GM crops contribute to the expansion of monocultures, the decrease of agricultural diversity, the elimination of indigenous varieties;

• GM products do not contribute to improving health, but generates risks. Unfortunately, there are facts that scientists are forced to conceal data on risks from GM-products;

• GM crops have led to the uncontrollable genetic contamination of genetic resources, to the decrease of biodiversity, and threatens the existence of centers of origin.

Thus, concerned NGOs of our countries are convinced that:

• Massive distribution of GM-crops threatens the quality, diversity and safety of food, contributes to further undermining of small farmers livelihoods – core agricultural productive force of the planet;

• Use of modern biotechnologies for food production and use of GM crops as a raw material for the production of biofuels and pharmaceuticals do not meet sustainability principles;

• EECCA countries are becoming more vulnerable to uncontrolled introduction, distribution and use of GM crops and products due to the lack of adequate legal and institutional base.

In connection with this, we express our position and call on the Commission on Sustainable Development to:

• Recognize that modern agricultural biotechnology (use of GM crops) does not meet sustainability criteria and did not reach the imposed targets;

• Exclude any reference to GM crops as an instrument of hunger and poverty reduction and of improving health from all subsequent UN CSD documents;

• Enhance world community efforts on the development of truly ecologically sound ways of agriculture, including organic agriculture and on the support of traditional agriculture and small-scale farming. Redirect into this the funds of international foundations, which are currently used to support agricultural biotechnology; and to abandon state subsidies to GM farmers;

• Create a legal mechanism providing accountability for genetic contamination. Damage caused by GM crops contamination should be covered by originators and not by traditional farmers and country-importers. Countries should approve legislation protecting farmers from possible losses caused by contamination of their products. Legislation should also provide farmers with rights to take legal action against a company responsible for an incident.