EU Member States Considered GMO Risks: Developing Countries Must Deny GM Crops

The EU ministers' meeting on December 6, 2008, Saturday, was a success.

It could be credited to the over 70,000 messages sent to EU member states.

The EU environment ministers recognized the following:

1. The long-term effects of GMOs on the environment, living organisms and health need to be assessed;

2. There should be independent scietific research on GMOs and access to information that is currently kept by agro-biotech companies;

3. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) should consider the environmental impact of herbicides spread over GM crops. Pesticide-producing GM crops should also be treated in the same way as chemical pesticides;

4. Regions and local communities have a right to establish GM-free zones.

"GE products are ultimately produced for the profit" under the guise of the slogan that it "will feed the world."

Developing countries, like the Philippines, do not really benefit from GE foods. We do not really need this technology. What we really need is equal distribution of organiic foods that we traditionally produce to save millions from hunger.

(Unlabelled) GE foods are on supermarket shelves (maybe on our plates) right now. GMO rice was reported contaminated the coutry and being sold in our supermarkets. GE corn was already field tested here. Other crops were approved for field testing.

We should continue protecting our food chain to keep our future GE-free.

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Greenpeace International