Corporatisation of the Seeds of Life

Earthlife Africa : PRESS RELEASE
Tel: 082 8684437 (South Africa)

28 August 2002, World Summit on Sustainable Development

Earthlife Africa, joins a growing number of small holder farmers and
members of civil society, religious groups and scientists in opposing the
dissemination and commercialization of genetically engineered seeds,
crops, plants and livestock. This technology fails to meet the
precautionary principle as it has not been conclusively and independently
proven safe for humans, health and the environment. Through gene leakage
and horizontal gene transfer, genetically engineered genes can
contaminate both related and unrelated species. For centuries farmers
have followed a tradition of saving, adapting and exchanging seeds to
promote biodiversity and food security. The patenting of genetic
engineered seeds is a direct threat to and violation of the rights of
farmers to save, use and share their agricultural resources. If farmers
loose control over their seeds they loose control over their farming
systems.

ELA is appalled that the poverty and hunger of the Southern African
region is being used to justify GMO's food aid and as a way of introducing
genetically engineered seeds into our region.  We are extremely concerned
with the claims made by the Biotech companies, that genetically
engineered seeds and crops will ensure food security. This technological
strategy fails to understand that food sovereignty is based on the
control of the food production process. International trade policies that
are designed to protect intellectual property rights pose a critical
threat to food security within the region.

Earthlife Africa is extremely concerned with the way in which the South
African government has embraced genetic engineering and is actively
promoting the establishment of a biotechnology industry in South Africa
despite the growing international call for a moratorium on the use of
GMO's. Earthlife Africa supports the call for further investigations to
determine the environmental, health and safety risks posed by this
technology to South Africa and the region. Whilst the majority of African
countries adopt the precautionary approach,  South Africa continues to
approve open GE field trials including apple, canola, potato, soybean and
tomato as well as allowing commercial plantings of insect resistant (Bt)
GE cotton and maize over a considerable part of the country. South
African legislation governing GMO's has blatantly flouted both the
precautionary principle and polluter pays principle embodied in our
National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

Earthlife Africa (ELA) is a Southern African volunteer driven
environmental activist organisation concerned with issues of
environmental and social justice and has been campaigning for sustainable
development since 1988.

Earthlife Africa calls for...
· Governments to ratify and implement multilateral agreements that
provide a regulatory framework for sustainable development. The
Agreements include the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the
Cartegena Biosafety Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity
and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture.
· A ban on the introduction of "Terminator or Genetic Use
Restriction Technology", the controversial genetic engineering that
deliberately sterilises crops.
· A ban on the "patents on life"
· Strict liability resulting from trans-boundary movements.
· Recognition of indigenous/traditional knowledge systems and
protection of the rights of resource poor farmers
· A moratorium on the release of GMO's into the environment until
sufficient research has been undertaken in accordance with the
precautionary principle
· Full responsibility from the corporations who develop GE
technology for the impact of the general release and spread of
genetically engineered organisms
· Investment in research into non corporate local sustainable
agriculture and independent enquiries into the future of agriculture and
food security to enhance local food sovereignty.
· Strengthening of the role of the precautionary principle embodied
in the Rio Declaration and ensure biosafety legislation takes precedence
over WTO/ NEPAD / AGOA / NAFTA and other trade based rules and
agreements .
· Reduce the influence of the WTO and the dominance of trade
discussion at the WSSD 2002.
· Ensure that this Summit Agenda is about people and their
dependence on the environment.


Issued on behalf of Earthlife Africa (eThekwini) by
Helene Epstein
Tel: 082 8684437 (South Africa)