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Trade in GMOs – influencing policy at the national and international levels

Trade in GMOs – influencing policy at the national and international levels. Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.genewatch.org. GM crops (million hectares). GM Crop 2003. Globally traded commodity crops Predominately grown in USA, Argentina and Canada

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Trade in GMOs – influencing policy at the national and international levels

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  1. Trade in GMOs – influencing policy at the national and international levels Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.genewatch.org

  2. GM crops (million hectares)

  3. GM Crop 2003

  4. Globally traded commodity crops • Predominately grown in USA, Argentina and Canada • Six companies undertake 90% of GM crop work - Syngenta; Bayer; Du Pont, Monsanto; Dow; BASF • Monsanto market around 90% of commercialised GM crops

  5. GM Nation? the public debate • 7 key findings: • people are generally uneasy about GM • the more people engage in GM issues, the harder their attitudes and more intense their concerns • there is little support for early commercialisation • there is widespread mistrust of government and multi-national companies

  6. GM Nation? the public debate • 7 key findings (cont) • there is a broad desire to know more and for more research to be done • developing countries have special interests • the debate was welcomed and valued Since 1998, this hostility across Europe had been overt and expressed through consumer actions

  7. European public opinion - impacts on trade • 1999 - major food producers/retailers removed GM ingredients from their produce • resulted in resourcing/reformulating products e.g oilseed rape from Poland not Canada • Ad hoc moratorium on GMO approvals in Europe • Improvements to regulations

  8. WTO challenge • US, Canada and Argentina made complaints to WTO: • about European moratorium • failure to consider applications under 90/220 and Novel Foods Regulation • 6 member states with marketing/import bans • Egypt pulled out • Many Third Parties

  9. WTO challenge - basis • Discrimination on basis of country or origin - are LIKE products • Scientific assessment and precautionary principle • Transparency • Obligations under WTO for DCs to have preferential treatment - Argentina

  10. WTO challenge - why now? • Targetted at other countries to stop them having moratoria/import bans etc • Domestic pressure from agricultural lobby and vote trading on tax bill • Zollick’s zealotry re DCs and GM crops • Desire to ‘see off’ the precautionary principle

  11. Vested interests at work • WTO challenge was pushed by biotechnology industry and industrial farming interests in the USA • Consumer action led to removal of GM products • US National Food Processors Association et al now pushing for second challenge to European rules on labelling/traceabillity

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