"No Government or international agency has yet established a
publicrecord of contamination incidents or of other problems
associated withGM crops. Turning a blind eye is not good enough
when dealing with atechnology like GM because it involves the
uncontrolled release ofliving organisms into the environment," said
Dr. Sue Mayer, GeneWatchUK's Director. "We hope this register will
form an important resourcefor citizens and regulators in the
future."
Since their introduction in 1996, GM crops have contaminated our
food,animal feed and seeds across the globe. 62 incidents of
illegal orunlabelled GM contamination have been documented in 27
countries onfive continents, and those are only the recorded
incidents. Theregister also gives links to more information about
the incidents andassociated agricultural problems that arise from
them.
"This register is being launched at the moment when governments
aremeeting in Montreal to decide on international liability
regulationsfor GM crops. The sheer number of contamination
incidents collected inthe register to date makes it clear that
unless states take action toset strict rules now, GM crops will
further spiral out of control,"said Doreen Stabinsky, GM campaigner
for Greenpeace International.
Highlights from the register:
* 27 countries have experienced a total of 62 cases of GM
contamination of food, animal feed, seeds or wild plants.
* The largest number of contamination incidents have taken place
in the USA (11 incidents).
* Contamination from 'Starlink' maize was found in seven
countries:USA; Canada; Egypt; Bolivia; Nicaragua; Japan; and South
Korea.
* Illegal releases of GM crops into the environment or food
chain havetaken place in India (cotton), Brazil (cotton and soya),
China (rice),Croatia (maize), Europe, Germany (papaya) and Thailand
(cotton andpapaya).
* Six cases of negative agricultural side-effects have been
recordedincluding deformed cotton bolls and the emergence of
herbicide tolerant'super-weeds'.
Other contacts: Dr. Sue Mayer, GeneWatch UK +44 1298 871898Doreen Stabinsky, Greenpeace International +1 202 285 7398
VVPR info: www.gmcontaminationregister.org
Notes: Notes to editors:(1) Genetically modified (GM) organisms are also known as genetically engineered (GE) organisms.