Genetically engineered crops cannot be segregated from their natural forebears in the wild.
Nearly a decade after the introduction of GE farming in Canada,
PrinceEdward Island Premier Pat Binns has initiated public hearings
toexamine prospects for a GE-free PEI. The public hearings are of
greatinterest across Canada. A GE-free PEI would be a guaranteed
source ofGE-free food for Canadian consumers. As in the case of
labelling inQuebec, it would set an important precedent for the
rest of thecountry. Finally, PEI's initiative is a reminder to
other premiers,especially Quebec's Jean Charest, who has promised
GE labelling - thatthe provinces are fully empowered to assume
leadership on the GE issueon the basis of a precautionary approach.
Provinces do not need to waitfor the federal government to act.
Greenpeacesupports a GE-free PEI and presented a brief to the
Prince EdwardIsland Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and
Environment toencourage PEI to become a GE-free province.
Greenpeace recommends thefollowing measures for PEI to become an
authentic GE-free zone:
- Ban GE crops on the island.
- Eliminate GMOs in animal feed.
- Ban GE fish.
- Institute mandatory GE labelling.
- Adopt policies to foster ecologically and socially sustainable
agriculture.
- Publicize the GE-free zone and encourage other governments to
follow suit.
On December 1, 2005, the Standing Committee recommended that
thegovernment of Prince Edward Island support the use of labelling
of foodproducts, produced or sold within Canada, indicating they
contain or donot contain GM ingredients. To provide consumers with
a choice, theCommittee also supports labelling of foods that are
and are notproducts of genetic modification, and points out that
such labelsshould be informative, understandable and
verifyable. Further, theCommittee believes that the speed at which
labelling appears in themarketplace will be driven by the
importance of the issue to consumersand points out that labelling
may provide a producer or processor withflexibility to accentuate
or differentiate their product in themarketplace and thus provide a
market advantage. '
For more information on the Standing Committee go to: http://www.assembly.pe.ca/reports/1-3-62GMOs.pdf