Third World Network: Doc. TWN/Biosafety/2001/F

WORLDWIDE INTITIATIVES AGAINST GMOs


AFRICA

 Algeria: Ban on the import, distribution, commercialization and utilization of

 GE plant material, except for research purposes.

 Egypt: Declared not to import GE wheat.

 The draft Organization of African Unity (OAU) model biosafety law requires

 that all GMOs, whether classified as food, crops, pharmaceuticals, or

 commodities, and products thereof must be approved before import, transit,

 contained use, release, and market release can take place. Any GMOs or

 products thereof must be labeled as such and there is a strict liability

 regime in place. This model law will serve as a model for national

 implementation in African countries.

 ASIA

 Sri Lanka: A ban on the import of all genetically modified foods, raw and

 processed, went into effect on May 1, 2001. This includes GMOs and

 products thereof.

 Thailand: Ban on field trials of GE crops, and the termination of ongoing

 field trials of Monsanto’s GE cotton and corn. Ban on all commercial

 planting of GE crops. Thailand will be drawing up legislation for labeling of

 GE food by the end of 2001.

 China: Ban on commercial planting of GE rice, wheat, corn and soybean.

 Japan: Declared not to import GE wheat. Recent legislation has set zero

 tolerance for imports containing unapproved GE products. Imports found to

 contain unapproved GMOs will be destroyed or shipped back to origin.

 Violators may incur penalties of up to one-year imprisonment and may be

 fined. The legislation also seeks mandatory labeling for GMOs in food.

 Philippines: The community of Valencia called for a five-year moratorium

 on GE food and GE crop trials and commercialization. The Philippine

 president recently announced a moratorium on GE crop research. 

 EUROPE

 The European Union is expected to approve very strict legislation on

 labeling and traceability; products thereof will have to be labeled even if

 traces of GE material cannot be found in them.

 Norway: Ban on the import of six GE crops and products which contain

 antibiotic resistance genes - two GE vaccines, GE maize, tobacco, chicory,

 and oil swede rape. 31 GE applications have been rejected to date.

 Austria: Bans on three varieties of GE maize - Novartis, Monsanto and

 AgrEvo. The Federal Institute for Less-favored and Mountainous Areas is

 pressing for GE-free legislation and published a study on GE free zones,

 initiatives in the States of Vorarlberg and Salzburg to ban GE trials.

 Germany: Ban of Novartis Bt maize. The initiative “No GE on communal

 land” of BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) launched activities in

 several German communities to discuss and vote on the GE free

 resolutions. Applications have been launched in: Bad Vilbel, Blauenstein,

 Lahr, konstanz, Hannover, Hamburg. Applications have been accepted in:

 Mynchen, Reutlingen, Freidrichsdorf, Blomberg, Selingenstadt, Niddatal,

 Maintal, Riedstadt, Adendorf, Schwebheim, Pinneberg, Schwabach,

 Lan-genhagen, Wyhe, Burgdorf, Neetze, District Traunstein. Several

 Protestant regional church organizations have banned GE crops from their

 land: Hannover, Hessen und Nassau, Sachsen, Protestantic Church of

 Westfalen, Protestantic Church in Berlin-Bradenburg, Church Province of

 Sachsen.

 United Kingdom: The Church of England has refused permission for GE

 crop trials on 60,000 hectares of its land, dozens of local authorities supply

 GE free school lunches, while the House of Commons has banned GE

 food for its catering. The Island of Jersey has banned GE crops.

 Spain: The Basque government has imposed a five-year blanket

 moratorium for GMOs. The provinces of Castilla-La Mancha and Baleares

 have banned GE food, while Andaluc’a declared a five-year moratorium on

 GE crops trials and food.

 Italy: Bans on GE crops in four regions - Tuscany, Molise, Lazio and

 Marche - and 25 provinces, cities and communes, including Rome, Milan,

 Turin, Brescia, and Genoa.

 Greece: Ban on AgrEvo herbicide resistant rapeseed, moratorium on GE

 crop trials.

 France: Ban on PGS and AgrEvo herbicide resistant rapeseed.

 Luxembourg: Ban on Novartis Bt maize.

 Portugal: Ban on Novartis Bt maize.

 LATIN AMERICA

 Brazil: Ban on the planting of GE seeds. The states of Rio Grande do Sul

 and Mato Grasso do Sul have declared their intentions to remain GE-free.

 18 states have called upon the central government to block commercial GE

 crop planting.

 Paraguay: The Ministry of Agriculture plans to ban the commercial planting

 of GE crops.

 MIDDLE EAST

 Saudi Arabia: Ban on GE food and declared not to import GE wheat.

 NORTH AMERICA

 United States of America: Maryland has banned GE fish. There are various

 bills calling for moratoria on GE food (Vermont), and bans on GE wheat

 (North Dakota and Montana) have been filed within the last year. Several

 municipalities have declared moratoria on GE food (Burlington, Vermont),

 bans of GE crops (City of Boulder, Colorado), or urged the federal

 government to ban GE food (City and County of San Fransisco, California).

 PACIFIC

 14 South Pacific countries - American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati,

 Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua

 New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - have

 recommended a moratorium on the import of GMOs pending the

 implementation of appropriate national risk assessment and risk

 management procedures.

 Australia: Ban GE rapeseed as weed in Tasmania, and a ban on

 commercial planting of GE crops in Western Australia. Australian States

 have been given the right to declare themselves GE free. Some

 communities (e.g. Bondi/Sydney, West Wimmera Shire) have declared

 themselves GE free.

 New Zealand: Trials of GE salmon have been blocked by the government.

 Some local bodies in Auckland and Wellington have declared themselves

 GE free.