In the runup to the third meeting of the Parties to the Biosafety Protocol, Greenpeace and Genewatch have released a report that contains a wealth of evidence on the contamination, illegal planting and negative agricultural side effects of GMOs worldwide.
GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace have prepared a report of all the incidents which have been included on the register up to the end of 2005. There were 113 incidents included in the register to the end of 2005: 88 cases of contamination, 17 illegal releases and eight reports of negative agricultural side-effects. For 2005, this includes seven cases of contamination, eight illegal releases and three cases of negative agricultural side-effects. A total of 39 countries on five continents are known to have been affected by an incident of GM contamination, illegal planting or adverse agricultural side-effect since 1996. This is almost twice the number of countries that grow GM crops.
An analysis of the incidents has shown that:
GM contamination can arise at every stage of development – from the laboratory, to the field, to the plate.
One unapproved variety of GM maize, Bt10, made by Syngenta, was mistakenly grown as another variety for four years.
Cases of misidentification, poor quality control and lack of awareness of proper controls in laboratories have led to GM tomato, zucchini and maize seed being distributed around the world and meat from GM pigs entering the food chain.
Cross-pollination and poor quality control have led to non-GM seed and food aid being contaminated.
Illegal large-scale growing of GM crops in Brazil, India and Romania, together with scientists conducting illegal trials or failing to contain them properly, show that GM organisms are often out-of-control even when claimed to be ‘strictly contained’.
Potentially dangerous genes could be introduced into the food chain and the environment as a result of the poor controls and lack of information because of claims to commercial confidentiality.
Countries are not full filling their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to inform the Clearing House of illegal transboundary movements of GMOs.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT IN PDF FORMAT
Click here to see a map of incidents of GM contamination to the end of 2005
8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Curtitiba, Brazil, 20-30 March 2006
The eighth Conference of the Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) promises to take major decisions regarding the conservation of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. |
