The Bush administration wants the WTO to force the EU to accept
GM food. The WTO will next week hold the first oral hearings in the
case.
The 15 groups - the 'Amicus Coalition' - have filed a so-called
amicus curiae brief that accuses the US of trying to scare
developing countries into adopting the controversial technology.
The Coalition believes that the WTO does not have 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. The trade body should
reject the challenge, the Coalition argues, because it risks
undermining a country's ability to set its own standards for GM
crops and foods. The Coalition's submission states that:
- GM 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 GM crops;
- herbicide use may increase as a result of GM crops and GM
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 GM crops and foods is 'proven', risks to
the environment are serious and may be irreversible. The brief
underlines that:
- increased use of chemical weedkillers may damage wildlife;
- contamination of non-GM crops and related wild species may
arise;
- there has been no monitoring of GM 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 GM foods and crops.
Charlie Kronick of Greenpeace 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 GM crops whether they like it
or not. Our submission to the panel highlights the known and
potential problems posed by GM crops. We're telling the WTO that
the US complaint is designed to scare countries around the world
into toeing the line."
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 GM crops they have the most to lose
from restrictions on trade in GM technology.
Notes: 1. An amicus curiae brief is information supplied as a 'friend of the court'. The full brief and background information is available on http://www.genewatch.org/WTO2. A three person Panel of trade experts has been appointed to adjudicate the three disputes as a single panel (the 'WTO GM dispute'). The parties will have filed their submissions by the end of May 2004, and the first oral hearing is expected in early June. A decision is expected in the latter part of 2004, which may be followed by an appeal on points of law to the Appellate Body of the WTO.3. Members of the WTO GMO amicus coalition:GeneWatch UK ; Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD - UK); Five Year Freeze (UK); Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB, UK); The Center for Food Safety (USA); Council of Canadians; Polaris Institute (Canada); Grupo de Reflexión Rural Argentina; Center for Human Rights and the Environment (CEDHA - Argentina); Gene Campaign (India); Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security (India); Fundación Sociedades Sustentables (Chile); Greenpeace International; Californians for GE- Free Agriculture; International Forum on Globalisation