International Regulations

These rules form the Biosafety Protocol, or Cartagena Protocol, which is part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The protocol identifies the release of GE organisms as a significant risk to the environment, human health and biodiversity.

The precautionary principle is at the heart of this agreement, and means that countries have the right to ban or restrict the import and use of GE organisms when there is a lack of scientific knowledge or consensus regarding their safety.

The Protocol came into force in September 2003. So far, 87 countries have ratified the Protocol. When the international community met in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the implementation of the Protocol in February 2004, China, the world's largest importer of genetically modified organisms, has announced it will soon ratify the Protocol.

China signed the Biosafety Protocol on 2000 and it introduced a set of domestic biosafety regulations in March 2002, including a mandatory GE food labeling system.

Apart from China, other regions including European Union, Japan, Korea, China Taiwan and Thailand has also enacted mandatory GE food labelling laws. The law pave the way for the protection of consumers' rights to know what they buy and to avoid GE food.

Greenpeace is campaigning for a strict control on all imports and exports of GE seeds and commodities such as soybeans and maize.