Feature story - 30 April, 2002
Today Mexico's senate ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a crucial instrument of the Convention on Biodiversity that aims to establish a system for the safe transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Contamination of maize from Mexico, a world centre of diversity for this crop, demonstrates the urgent need for the Biosafety Protocol's implementation.
Meanwhile, enough congressmen were convinced by the
agro-chemical industry to freeze the national biosafety law
initiative. For this reason, greenpeace activists today went to the
congress and opened a banner saying "Ley de Bioseguridad, Hoy Hoy
Hoy" [Biosafety Law, Today Today Today] to remind congressmen that
they are responsible for protecting the Mexican biodiversity, and
maize in particular.
"We congratulate senators for recognising the importance of the
Protocol. It will give Mexico the opportunity to protect its
biodiversity from possible negative effects of GMOs such as those
that contaminated maize varieties in Oaxaca and Puebla," said Liza
Covantes of Greenpeace Mexico.
So far 18 countries around the world have ratified the Biosafety
Protocol, far short of the 50 needed for it to enter into
force.
The urgent need for a strong Biosafety Protocol is illustrated
by the discovery six months ago of genetic contamination of maize
in Mexico. This was the first case of genetic pollution in a centre
of origin and diversity of a major food crop.
During the latest Biosafety Protocol meeting in April 2002,
Indian communities from affected regions, Greenpeace, and other
NGOs requested a NAFTA commission to analyse the impact of
genetically engineered maize and determine the sources of
contamination.
Greenpeace calls on governments to immediately ratify the
Biosafety Protocol, thereby ensuring that the next meeting on the
protocol will be a Conference of the Parties with true
decision-making power.