Thursday, May 15, 2008

Seed of Conflict – GM Crops vs. Organic Farming

Minister, let met start with a more provocative question: Through the strong pursuance of anti-GMO policy in Austria, is the government denying an opportunity to their farmers?

Austria is a democratic country; the government policies are a response to the demands of our people. 69% of the Austrian population is concerned about GM food and would not buy GM-products. This attitude is reflected in the government policies and led to the development of the Austrian Charter for the Non-Use of Genetic Engineering. The Charter is a voluntary agreement to help safe-guard the non-use of GMOs in food in Austria. All those signing up to the Charter abstain from the import of GM commodities, and the signatories include the Austrian farmers and commerce. Even though we are no longer able to legally prohibit the import, this Charter is our guarantee for GM-free agriculture and consumption.

In fact, given that 62% of the population in the EU is equally suspicious about GM food, I believe that the EU in general should take more stringent measures than those that are currently in place.

An estimated 14.000 children daily die from hunger. The world needs to achieve food security to meet the MDGs. Shouldn’t we be looking at all possibilities?

Every state is sovereign and has the right to determine its own policies according to its own priorities and needs. But with the use of GMOs in agriculture there are a number of dangers and unsolved issues. One example: Because of the cross-pollination potential of some GM crops, how would that effect the survival of plants and crops in neighbouring areas? How would this fit with the need to maintain and preserve as much variety in seeds as possible to ensure long-term food security – as is being endangered even further through global warming. If you say, we need to look at all possibilities, then I would say let us also look at further promoting organic farming.

But isn’t organic agriculture rather a luxury for developed countries?

Uganda, for example, has a strong organic farming policy. So you can see that this is not only a luxury for the developed world. In every country that depends on agriculture, farmers have a special role – they are not only producers but also caretakers for an intact environment and preservers of traditional seeds and knowledge. Organic farming is a tool to combine agricultural and environmental interests and thus important for long-term sustainable development. Austria is promoting organic farming and supply of organic products through specific programmes, measures and subsidies, and also passes on its expertise and knowledge through development cooperation activities with our partner countries.

The 4th Meeting of the Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety has started in Monday in Bonn. What are your expectations for this week?

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a major achievement for regulating international import and export of GMOs, and builds upon the precautionary principle. We place a strong interest in promoting and further developing this instrument. I put my hopes in the development of international guidelines for risk assessments of GMOs, and also in a successful conclusion of international regulations on liability and redress. On that last note, six major agricultural biotechnology companies have taken the initiative to propose a compact which is a mutually binding contract to cover actual damage to biodiversity, subject to proof of harm. This is a telling signal that the Cartagena Protocol significantly managed to promote and implement the precautionary approach.