Lelystad,  5 januari 2007

PERSBERICHT

250 burgers, w.o. Wieteke van Dort en Miep Bos, beeldend kunstenaressen en Stichting VoMiGEN, Rotterdam, sturen bedenkingen aan het Min. van VROM tegen geplande gentechmaïsproefvelden in Werkendam, Venray en Haaksbergen, met een CC naar de leden van de Vaste Kamercommissie van LNV.

Betreft; IM 06-005 , I M 06-006 , IM 06-007 (IM= introductie in het milieu).

Moeite doen

"Waarom toch al die moeite doen met het versleutelen van een gewas als het toch ook op de traditionele biologische manier kan. Zonder gesleutel en zonder bestrijdingsmiddelen? Nu worden de gewassen via genetische manipulatie tegen herbiciden bestand gemaakt. En waarom? In de huidige landbouwpraktijk wordt bovendien in maïs niet gespoten tegen insecten, omdat de belangrijkste insectenplagen in maïs (maïsstengelboorder en maïswortelkever) niet in Nederland voorkomen! (Bron advies CGM/061222-03)

Het coëxistentieprobleem leeft hier in Nederland erg sterk. Tijdens het publieksdebat "Eten en Genen" verklaarden wetenschappers dat Nederland te klein is voor gentech gewassen. Hier werd door de regering vervolgens niet naar geluisterd.

Minister Veerman verklaart in het buitenland tijdens zijn toespraken dat wij hier in Nederland zulke goede afspraken over coëxistentie gemaakt hebben, en dat alle partijen zijn gehoord. Maar, consumenten zijn bv helemaal niet gehoord tijdens de beslissingen over coëxistentie.

Biologische landbouw zit nationaal en internationaal in de lift. Het zou het beste zijn als Nederland gentechvrij blijft. Gentech en gentechvrij kunnen niet samengaan.

Wij vinden dan ook dat deze proefvelden niet mogen doorgaan."

Zo begint een serie bedenkingen met woorden van gelijke strekking van  250 burgers, jong en oud, tegen drie GMO en/of hybride maissoorten van Multinational Pioneer Hi-Bred Northern Europe Sales Division , die men van plan is uit te gaan proberen via proefvelden op Nederlandse bodem.

De handtekeningen werden in drie weken opgehaald.

Hartenkreet en Cogem

Ten slotte nog een hartenkreet van de opstellers, velen maken al meer dan 10 jaar bezwaar tegen proefvelden en komen telkens opnieuw dezelfde omissies tegen zoals deze;

"We lezen dat de Cogem bij   I M 06-006 , in het verleden de afzonderlijke GGO maissoorten heeft beoordeeld, maar niet de gehele hybride . Het zijn allemaal veronderstellingen, die te berde gebracht worden. Bovendien is het geheel meer dan de som der delen. Welke effecten op elkaar zijn mogelijk? Dit is niet gemeten. Wat is bekend uit het buitenland?

Kunt u bewijzen dat het niet schadelijk is? Neemt u hier verantwoordelijkheid voor, ook in de toekomst? We achten deze adviezen, giswerk, gedateerd en verre van compleet. Dit geeft ons een onveilig gevoel.

De wetenschap staat niet stil en er zullen zeker nieuwe onderzoeken zijn, die dan ook meegenomen moeten worden bij een beoordeling.

Volgens de Cogem ontbreekt verder essentiele informatie bij IM 06-006 (blz.8). Dit lazen wij in hun advies van 22 december 2006, ingekomen 27 december 2006, die dag hebben wij onze bedenkingen verzonden. Wij lazen dit advies pas vandaag, het stond op 27 december nog niet op internet, dus was het internetdossier zeker niet compleet.

Ook schrijft zij; Niet alle studies over de effecten op niet-doelwitorganismen zijn aangeleverd. Dat is voor de Cogem wel een voorwaarde om deze veldproef te mogen doen.(blz. 9.)

Waar zijn al die uitgebreide, onafhankelijke, valabele onderzoeken, peer-reviewed en gepubliceerd in gerenommeerde wetenschappelijke tijdschriften naar b.v.de toxiciteit op de lange termijn voor mens, dier en bodem? Waar kunnen we die inzien?"

Nederland gentechvrij

In de begeleidende brief aan de Vaste Kamercommissie van LNV staat o.a. te lezen;

Gezien deze serieuze, onderbouwde bedenkingen tegen deze geplande gentechmaïsproefvelden, verzoeken wij u nog eens dringend in overweging te nemen, Nederland gentechvrij te verklaren .

Zo krijgen de biologische - en duurzame landbouw toch nog een kans om onbeperkt te groeien en niet besmet te worden met gentechpollen. Biologische landbouw is in opkomst en zal een nichemarkt worden. En daar zou Nederland de vruchten van kunnen plukken.

Nawoord Stichting VoMiGEN

"Wij verzoeken  u nog eens dringend  de maatschappelijke impact van dit beleid af te wegen. Als binnen uw denken als 'volksvertegenwoordiger'  toegestaan wordt dat men buurmans grond mag verontreinigen moet u zich afvragen welke reacties geeft dit in het algemeen over het begrip vrijheid en ongestoord genot van eigendom? Is dat wat het volk volgens u wil? Wat betekent vrijheid als een handjevol belanghebbende, voornamelijk multinationals,  handelingen mogen doen waarvan nu al vast staat dat deze handelingen vroeg of laat andermans waarden, overtuiging, geloof  en andermans eigendommen genetisch zal verontreinigen? Wat betekent dit in het algemeen als we nog over moraal, respect, waarden en normen willen praten? Welke impact gaat dit krijgen op ons rechtsysteem? Wat is eigenlijk dan nog recht? De nieuwe wet Consumentenautoriteit wordt beheerd door circa 25 ambtenaren waarvan circa 8 voor handhaving. Welke handhaving? Als we weten dat de actio popularis op milieu, landinrichting en handhaving, in juli 2005 geruisloos is afgeschaft. Voor wie of wat moet er nog gehandhaafd worden als er al een vrijbrief is gegeven om handelingen te verrichten waarvan nu al vast staat dat deze vroeg of laat buurmansgrond genetisch zullen verontreinigen? Waar blijft het geloof in de politiek als het comfort van mensen, waar voeding een eerste levensbehoefte van is, wordt aangetast?  Waar blijft het geloof in de democratie als mensen zelf niets meer te zeggen hebben over hun voeding? Het niet meer weten van wat je eet! Welke impact heeft dit op de machtsverhoudingen tussen volk en machthebbers? Welke impact heeft dit op het geloof in een almachtige God? Een God die voor iedereen verschillend is; voor anderen niet bestaat  en door velen vereenzelvigd wordt met de natuur." Robert Verlinden. 

Zie voor de bedenkingen en brief aan Vaste Kamercommissie LNV ;

http://www.gentechvrij.nl/bedenking06-005.html

 http://www.gentechvrij.nl/bedenking06-006.html

 http://www.gentechvrij.nl/bedenking06-007.html

http://www.gentechvrij.nl/bedenkingVomigen06.html

http://www.gentechvrij.nl/bedenkingbrvastekamercie.html

Info; Miep Bos, beeldend kunstenares

miep@gentechvrij.nl

www.gentechvrij.nl

www.wietekevandort.nl

www.vomigen.nl

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bijlagen

Box 1

Damning evidence against the safety of GM food and feed

1. Scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences reported between 2005 and 2006 that female rats fed glyphosate-tolerant GM soya produced excessive numbers of severely stunted pups and more than half of the litter dying within three weeks, while the surviving pups are completely sterile (see main article).
2. Between 2004 and 2005, hundreds of farm workers and cotton handlers in Madhya Pradesh, India, suffered allergy symptoms from exposure to Bt cotton [2] ( More Illnesses Linked to Bt Crops , SiS 30).
3. Between 2005 and 2006, thousands of sheep died after grazing on Bt cotton crop residues in four villages in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh in India [3] ( Mass Deaths in Sheep Grazing on Bt Cotton , SiS 30).
4. In 2005, scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Canberra Australia reported that a harmless protein in bean (alpha-amylase inhibitor 1) transferred to pea caused inflammation in the lungs of mice and provoked sensitivities to other proteins in the diet [4] ( Transgenic Pea that Made Mice Ill , SiS 29)
5. From 2002 to 2005, scientists at the Universities of Urbino, Perugia and Pavia in Italy published reports indicating that GM-soya affected cells in the pancreas, liver and testes of young mice [5] ( GM Ban Long Overdue , SiS 29)
6. In 2003, villagers in the south of the Philippines suffered mysterious illnesses when a Monsanto Bt maize hybrid came into flower; antibodies to the Bt protein were found in the villagers, there have been at least five unexplained deaths and some remain ill to this day [5]
7. In 2004, Monsanto company's secret research dossier showed that rats fed MON863 GM maize developed serious kidney and blood abnormalities [6]
8. Between 2001 and 2002, a dozen cows died in Hesse Germany after eating Syngenta GM maize Bt176 , and more in the herd had to be slaughtered due to mysterious illnesses [7] ( Cows Ate GM Maize & Died , SiS 21)
9. In 1998, Dr . Arpad Pusztai and colleagues formerly of the Rowett Institute in Scotland reported damage in every organ system of young rats fed GM potatoes containing snowdrop lectin, including a stomach lining twice as thick as controls [8]
10. Also in 1998, scientists in Egypt found similar effects in the gut of mice fed Bt potato [9]
11. The US Food and Drug Administration had data dating back to early 1990s showing that rats fed GM tomatoes with antisense gene to delay ripening had developed small holes in their stomach [8]
12. In 2002, Aventis company (later Bayer Cropscience) submitted data to UK regulators showing that chickens fed glufosinate-tolerant GM maize Chardon LL were twice as likely to die compared with controls [10] ( Animals Avoid GM Food, for Good Reasons , SiS 21 ).

    Fragment overgenomen met toestemming van Dr. Mae-Wan Ho zie http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Making-the-World-GM-Free-and-Sustainable.php

Onderstaande overgenomen van www.gentech.nl

------------------------------------------------------------
THE BEST OF 2006
------------------------------------------------------------

2006 saw some huge advances in the global campaign of opposition to the
imposition of GMOs.

Here's a small selection of some of the good news stories that GM WATCH
reported.

Much admiration to all the individuals and organisations that
contributed to these successes.

------------------------------------------------------------
BEST NEWS OF 2006
------------------------------------------------------------ 

+ TOP RICE EXPORTERS SAID "NO!" TO GM RICE
The world's two largest exporters of rice agreed to shun genetically
engineered varieties. An agreement between rice traders from Thailand
and Vietnam protects half the crop traded on the world market from the
dangers of GM, and puts mounting pressure on other rice-producing
nations to commit to a GM-free rice supply.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7337

+ INDIA'S RICE INDUSTRY CAME OUT AGAINST GM RICE
India's top rice exporters and farmers unions joined with environmental
groups in warning the Indian government against further field trials of
GM rice, saying it could jeopardise the livelihoods of millions of poor
farmers across the country.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7210

INDIA : GM RICE TRIALS DESTROYED
Farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), representing hundreds of
thousands of Indian farmers, torched GM rice fields, starting a trend
followed elsewhere in India of enforcing the biosafety measures that
were being ignored..
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7195

+ CHINA DIDN'T GIVE COMMERCIAL APPROVAL TO GM RICE
Despite constant predictions to the contrary by pro-GM lobbyists, China
- the world's biggest rice producer and consumer - put off any
commercial introduction of GM rice yet again in 2006 amid growing
concerns about biosafety and potential loss of markets.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=72601-nutrogen-gm-rice -
biosafety
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7369

+ NO GO AHEAD FOR GM RICE IN IRAN
The director of the Iran 's department of environment, Fatemeh Javadi,
announced that a go-ahead for cultivation of GM rice would not be
issued.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7197

+ MEXICO REJECTED GM MAIZE
Mexico banned biotech companies from planting GM corn. Mexico is the
birthplace of corn and still a storehouse of genetically valuable native
species.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp ?
arcid=7139 http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7196

+ BOLIVIA TO OUTLAW GM CROPS AND GO ORGANIC
The Bolivian government aims to transform the country into an organic
oasis in South America and to outlaw GM crops.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7269
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6167

+ ECUADOR BANS GMOs IN FOOD AID
Ecuador 's Parliament has passed a law which bans the presence of GMOs in
food aid sent to that country.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6565

+ BRAZILIAN GOVERNOR MOVES TO EXPROPRIATE LAND FROM SYNGENTA
On November 9 Roberto Requiao, Governor of the state of Parana dealt a
blow to Syngenta when he signed a decree to expropriate its experimental
test site in the public interest after Syngenta illegally planted 12
hectares of GM soybeans at the site.

The action was representative of the growing sentiment among Latin
American politicians to resist the increasing power of GM and
agribusiness corporations, and was also evidence of the increasing
organization and power of civil society in the region.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7379
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7358

+ SOUTH AUSTRALIA EXTENDED GM BAN
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7289
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7045

+ WESTERN AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENT VOTED DOWN COMMERCIAL GM TRIALS
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7028

+ U.S. FEDERAL COURT RULED BIOPHARM PERMITS ILLEGAL
A federal district judge ruled that the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) flouted both the Endangered Species Act and National
Environmental Policy Act by not conducting preliminary environmental
reviews before permitting the cultivation of drug-producing GM crops
throughout Hawaii.

US District Judge Michael Seabright also called USDA's regulatory
heedlessness "arbitrary and capricious" and "an unequivocal violation of
a clear congressional mandate."

The ruling may make it harder to win permits to grow GM crops across the
country. Said Honolulu Earthjustice attorney Paul Achitoff, "The days of
rubber-stamping these (genetically engineered crop permits) are over.
Whenever (the USDA) proposes to issue permits, they're going to have to
examine their impact." http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6888
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6891

+ INDIA: SUPREME COURT SAID NO TO GM PRODUCTS AND NEW GM TRIALS
The Supreme Court ordered India's apex GM regulatory body - the Genetic
Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) - not to give approvals to GM
products until further notice. The judges gave the direction on an
application filed by Aruna Rodrigues and others in a public interest
litigation seeking a ban on the release of GMOs because of their
potential to cause major health hazards.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7063
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7059

+ INDIAN STATE SAID "NO!" TO GM SEEDS
The chief minister of the Indian state of Uttaranchal said that there
would be no permission given to GM seeds in the state.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6655

+ TAMIL NADU GOVT MAY BAN GM CROP TRIALS
"The government may issue a law banning GM crop trials. We hope the
Centre [central Government of India ] will support us," said Tamil Nadu
agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugam.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7388

+ EU VOTED TO DEFY WTO RULING ON GM FOODS
European Union environment ministers voted to reject a proposal to force
Austria to lift its bans on GM foods and crops. The proposal was tabled
by the European Commission in response to a ruling by the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) earlier in the year, which stated that the bans broke
international trade laws. Austrian environment minister Josef Proll
said: "This is a very strong signal by the Council [of Ministers] for
the Commission to reassess its policy [on GMOs]."
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7399
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7401
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7409

+ GM SOY TO BE BANNED IN ROMANIA
Environmentalists in Romania have secured a victory in getting GM soy
banned. Romania was the biggest producer of GM soy in Europe after it
began growing it without any control a decade ago.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7406

+ GREEKS DO NOT WANT GM
All 54 Greek prefectures have passed local bans on GMOs. Theodore
Koliopanos, a legislator and former deputy environment minister, said,
"All political parties are opposed to GMOs, which is odd because we
disagree on everything else."
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6566

+ HUNGARY RESTRICTS GM CROPS
Hungary 's parliament overwhelmingly backed legislation which severely
restricted the planting of GM crops, making their cultivation almost
impossible. "This is Europe 's, perhaps the world's, strictest GMO
law,"Agriculture Minister Jozsef Graf said.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7334
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7331

+ BIGGEST RUSSIAN FOOD AND FEED IMPORTERS GO GM-FREE
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7324

+ GM FOODS TO BE BANNED FROM MOSCOW SCHOOLS
Foods containing GM products will be banned from Moscow schools and pre-
school childcare centres.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6538

+ POLISH PARLIAMENT APPROVED BAN ON GM ANIMAL FEED
On July 22 the Polish Parliament appoved a total ban on GM animal feed
within 2 years. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6802

+ POLAND BANNED SALE OF GM SEEDS
Poland 's parliament passed a law which removes GM seeds from a national
register, effectively banning their sale.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6495

+ EU AUTHORIZED POLISH BAN ON GM MAIZE SEEDS
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6519

+ BASF ADMITTED DEFEAT OF GM POTATO EXPERIMENT
Chemicals company BASF said it would not go ahead with its planned GM
potato experiment in Ireland in 2006, and may cancel it altogether.
BASF said it made the decision because of the conditions imposed by the
Environmental Protection Agency.

The cancellation may also have been influenced by nationwide opposition
from more than 100 farm and food industry groups, resistance by TDs
(members of the Irish Parliament) from all parties, two motions passed
unanimously by Meath Co. Council, and the threat of further legal action
on planning and constitutional grounds.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6577
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6563

+ ITALY : ONE TOWN IN FOUR IS GMO-FREE
In a campaign targeting small towns in Italy , one town in four has
declared itself "GMO-free".
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6577

+ GM FOODS CONDEMNED IN GLOBAL MARCHES
Thousands of protesters in 70 countries demonstrated against GMOs on 8
April (Joint International GM Opposition Day). Demonstrations were held
in Australia , Bolivia , India , South Africa , France , and the US , among
other countries. It was reported that 25,000 people protested against
GMOs in Andhra Pradesh , India .
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6426
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6427

+ FRANCE : MONSANTO SEED FACILITY OCCUPIED
In April French farmer Jose Bove and 75 other activists occupied
Monsanto's seed facility in Trebes , France . They demanded that Monsanto
and the French authorities stop the import and distribution of GM maize
seed into France . Bove was arrested but released a few hours later. This
was just one of a series of high profile protests in France in 2006.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6452
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6484

+ AMERICANS STILL WARY OF GM FOOD - STUDY
Ten years after GM crops were first planted commercially in the US ,
Americans remain ill-informed about and uncomfortable with GM food.
Polling also confirmed that most Americans do not like the idea of
eating meat or milk from cloned animals.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7373

+ INDUSTRY DOESN'T WANT GM WHEAT
Among the many industry voices raised against GM wheat, Ron Olson,
General Mills' vice president of grain operations said, "The food market
is not ready for that. Our stock would get killed."
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6994
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7007
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7362

+ SANTA CRUZ OK'S BAN ON GM CROPS
Supervisors of Santa Cruz County, California unanimously approved a
moratorium on growing GM crops in the county.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp ?
arcid=6664 http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6620

+ MISSOURI "PRE-EMPTION" BILL PUSHED BACK BY FARMERS
A bill that would have prohibited the state of Missouri from enacting
any seed regulation exceeding federal requirements was pulled from
consideration in the Missouri legislature, under pressure from farmers.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6618

+ MONSANTO BACKED GM BILL DIES IN LEGISLATURE
A bill that would have pre-empted local laws placing restrictions on
GMOs, failed to make it out of committee in the California Senate and
died with the close of the legislative year.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6964
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6970

+ US STATE DOESN'T WANT PHARM DRUGS IN FOOD
An Oregon state committee on biopharming made strict recommendations on
regulating crops designed to make drugs.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7215
Analysis of the committee's recommendations:
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7226

+ U.S. CONSUMERS DUMP rBGH MILK
US milk producers were falling over themselves to ban milk produced from
cows injected with Monsanto's GM growth hormone.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7298

+ VERMONT AG SECRETARY BACKED GM HORMONE BAN
And so too did Stephen Taylor, New Hampshire commissioner of agriculture
and a dairy farmer.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7104
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7116

+ SOUTH AFRICA'S LARGEST DAIRY WENT rBGH-FREE
Clover Dairies, South Africa's largest dairy, is now carrying the "rBST-
free" label on their cartons to certify that the cows that produce its
milk are not injected with Monsanto's GM growth hormone.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7242

+ NO GATEWAY TO AFRICA'S SORGHUM
The normally lax South African GM regulatory body turned down an
application to conduct laboratory and greenhouse experiments with GM
sorghum, because of fears it could lead to the destruction of the
sorghum varieties prevalent throughout Africa.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6732

+ ECO-FARMING HELPS THE WORLD'S POOR - STUDY
Sustainable farming methods can help the poorest farmers in developing
nations out of poverty, research suggests. Scientists found that
techniques such as crop rotation and organic farming increased crop
yields by an average of 79%, without risking future harvests.
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7370

Also check out our choice of:

*Best article of 2006
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7430

*Best report of 2006
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7431

*Most interesting research of 2006
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7432

Title : Andean Community Declared as GM Potato-Free Region
Date : 05 January 2007
Contents:
THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE


Dear Friends and colleagues,

RE: Andean Community Declared as GM Potato-Free Region

In a landmark move, the Andean Parliament in November 2006 passed a
resolution to declare the countries, which are part of the Andean
Community (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia), free of genetically
modified potatoes.

This is in recognition of the cultural, social and economic importance
of the crop to the Andean community which is also the center of origin
of the potato. The declaration was made in response to proposals
submitted by the network for a GE Free Latin America (Red por una
América Latina Libre de Transgénicos, RALLT)

The declaration is also in accordance with the Precautionary Principle,
the cornerstone of the Convention on Biological Diversity, of which each
of the member of the Andean Community is a Contracting Party. By
declaring the region GM potato-free, the area will be protected from
contamination from GM varieties which can threaten the environment and
diversity of the crop.

As such, the resolution urges governments of the Andean countries to
stop any field trial, manipulation and experimentation with genetically
modified potatoes to eliminate the risk of loss of genetic variability
of potatoes.

It also calls for an end to any activity related with propagation in the
environment, commercial use, transportation, use, commercialisation and
production of GM Potato, inside the Andean Community.

An unofficial translation of the full resolution is reproduced below.


With best wishes,


Chee Yoke Heong
Third World Network
131 Jalan Macalister,
10400 Penang,
Malaysia
Email: twnet@po.jaring.my
Website: www.biosafety-info.net and www.twnside.org.sg

Alle bedenkingen;

06-005

06-006

06-007

Bedenkingen VoMigen

Perbericht

7 januari 2007 Brief aan De vaste Kamercommissie LNV betr. bedenkingen.