Greenpeace blocks GE soya offloading in Italy

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Greenpeace canoeist arrested by the Guadia di Finanza during an action to prevent the offloading of 40,000 tonnes of Argentian GE Soya from the bulk carrier Keoyang Majesty.

"Italian consumers do not want this GE soya to contaminate of the Italian food supply. Greenpeace is determined to block the offloading of this GE cargo in order to demand an end to the massive import of ge soya into Italy", said Federica Ferrario, Greenpeace Italy campaigner onboard the Esperanza (1).

The Italian Police and Port Authorities provided Greenpeace with documentation on the ship's cargo in order to verify whether it complies with the new European labelling and traceability legislation that has just come into force. However the documents that Greenpeace had access to do not provide any information on the GE organisms in the cargo. Greenpeace is still asking the competent authorities to verify the fulfilment of the new legislation and provide us the accurate information (2). In the meantime, Greenpeace has taken samples that will be tested.

The protest has been sustained since Sunday morning, when Greenpeace activists boarded the Keoyang Majesty displaying banners saying "Don't Buy GE Food" and "Defend Yourself from GMOs". Last night, the Greenpeace activists left the GE ship for safety reasons and are now focussing on the trans-shipment system used to offload the GE soya from the ship onto small barges. Two activists are on one of the barges, ten activists have climbed onto the elevator used to take the GE soya out of the GE ship and six activists are now in canoes between the barge and the Keoyang Majesty.

The Keoyang Majesty from Argentina is transporting GE soya meal for the multinational companies Bunge and Cargill, to be used for animal feed. Italy imports 4.2 million tons of soya annually for food and animal feed of which over three million tons are estimated to be GE or GE contaminated.

Daniela Montalto, Greenpeace International campaigner from Argentina, who is on board the Esperanza said: "Argentina is determined to produce GE soya to feed pigs, cows and chickens in the developed world. Almost its entire production of soya is GE. What remains of the native forest lands are being converted for GE soya production. It is time to stop this environmental and social nightmare in Argentina."

Greenpeace has stepped up its campaign around the world against GE food. Many shipments carrying soya suspected of being contaminated with GE are being targeted in ports around the world.

On Monday, 70 Greenpeace activists occupied the two biggest offloading facilities in Ravenna harbour in order to expose the main entry point of GMOs into Italy. After several hours of negotiations, Greenpeace has started a process with them addressed to the implementation of the segregation procedures.

VVPR info: Video available from +31 635 504 721Photos available from John Novis +31 653 819 121Follow the global Greenpeace campaign for a GE-free future at: www.greenpeace.org/stopGMO

Notes: (1) European statistics office 2002 (2) According to new EU regulations on traceability and labelling of GE crops (1830/2003) that came into force three weeks ago, the "common, scientific and commercial names" of the GE organisms in the shipment, as well as their "transformation event codes" or, where available, their "unique identifier codes". Greenpeace doesn't have access to any description of the GE organisms in the cargo so far.Greenpeace is still highly critical of a major loophole in the new EU rules, with regard to meat and dairy products, insisting that for consumer choice to be meaningful, meat and dairy products from animals fed with GMOs must also be labelled.