Press release - October 26, 2007
Greenpeace today congratulated the French government on the announcement by President Nicolas Sarkozy that France would indefinitely suspend cultivation of GMO corn. In his statement ending a high-profile, two-day summit on the environment, Sarkozy cited doubts about the safety of GMOs, their usefulness, and concerns about uncontrolled dissemination.
Sarkozy ended the summit with a declaration on several major
themes addressed there, including GMOs and the precautionary
principle: "The truth is that we have doubts about the ability to
control the dissemination of GMOs; the truth is that we have doubts
about the health and environmental benefits of GMOs. . . Respecting
the precautionary principle, I wish to suspend the commercial
cultivation of GMOs that produce pesticides."
The French ban will remain in place until a new national
authority can be established to review GMOs, based on new criteria
to be developed.
Monsanto's genetically engineered corn variety, MON810, which
produces the Bt pesticide, is the only GMO currently cultivated in
Europe and would be the variety subject to the French ban. It is
estimated that over 30,000 acres of GE maize were grown in France
in 2007.
"Greenpeace is delighted that the French government has taken
sound environmental arguments into account and banned the
cultivation of ecologically hazardous genetically engineered (GE)
crops. President Sarkozy's announcement today is a victory for
French consumers, farmers, and the environment. Greenpeace urges
all government to follow the initiative of the French and protect
their citizens and the environment from the threats of GE,"
commented Greenpeace International agriculture campaigner, Doreen
Stabinsky.
In Canada, Monsanto's corn variety MON810 has been authorized
for use since 1997. Genetically modfied corn covers 820,000
hectares and represents about 50 per cent of all corn
cultivated.
"While the French government has taken action in the interests
of its citizens, Canada has failed to ratify the international
protocol on biosafety or introduce mandatory labelling of GMO
products," said Eric Darier, coordinator of Greenpeace Canada's
agriculture campaign.
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For more information, please contact:
Eric Darier, Greenpeace Agriculture Coordinator, (514)
605-6497