[www-features] PROPSAL

[clara]

Hi,
here's a first feature on the biosafety meeting about the trade with
GMOs. There will be a few more in the next 3 weeks.
for links in the text check: http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/03/335786.html

greetings
clara


TITEL: Biosafety Meeting in Curitiba: Towards a strict GMO labelling?

IMAGE: http://indymedia.org.uk/images/2006/03/335787.jpg

INTRO:
On Monday, 13 March the Third Conference on the Biosafety Protocol
(MOP3) started in Curitiba, Brazil. The Biosafety Protocol is the only
international treaty that sets obligatory rules for the trade with GMOs.
Main issue of this meeting is the question how GMOs have to be labelled
(Article 18). GMO producers favour the very vague label that something
"may contain" GMOs, while most countries want a clear description of
which GMO is contained in a shipment. (background of COP8/MOP3 meeting ).

TEXT:
The conflicts within the Brazilian government are fairly obvious now:
while the minister for agriculture is pro-gmo, the minister for
environment is against it. The opening session of the meeting on Monday
therefore was unusually sharp for a UN meeting. The gouvernour of
Paraná, Roberto Requião, opened the meeting with a strong statement in
favour of labelling. He compared a "may contain" formulation with shops
labelling meat as "this may contain rotten meat". (video) The minister
for environment, Marina Silva, wasn't even present at the meeting.
According to environmental groups, she refused to take the Chair until
Brazil had changed its position. (videos and reports.)

While 5000 delegates discuss the official texts, the protest movement
against GMOs is expected in even stronger numbers. For an action camp of
Via Campensia and MST - 20km away from the official conference - about
6000 participants are expected. Others organize an alternative "Global
Forum of the Civil Society" on the conference grounds.
In the week prior to the MOP3 , a conference on agricultural reforms
took place in Porto Alegre, which - among other actions - resulted in
the destruction of a research lab for eucalyptus - a tree that is
responsible for another form of destructive monoculture.

The MOP3 meeting (13-21 March) will be followed by the COP8 meeting on
Biodiversity where a key issue will efforts by Canada, UK, Monsanto and
others to introduce terminator seeds.

[ videos & reports at Biotrade Watch | Biotech IMC | Ban Terminator |
Friends of the Earth International |