Coexistence with GMOs: Freedom of Choice?

KNEJA - drustvo za kulturu i suzivot sa prirodom

Organized by the European Commission and Austria, the current Presiding Country of the EU, the �Co-Existence of Genetically Modified, Conventional and Organic Crops � Freedom of Choice� conference was held in Vienna, April 4-6, 2006.

National policies on coexistence of GMO, conventional and organic crops varry between the EU member-states from those with zero tolerance such as Austria, and countries in which growth of GMO crops is rising, such as Spain.

The lack of agreement on a joint policy on GMO crops was demonstrated by the different tones heard in the conferencer between the representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament, but also between local and regional authorities that started to declare their territories as GMO free areas, aware of the danger presented by genetically modified organisms.

It is evident that the European Union, under WTO pressure, attempts to identify a model that would approximate the national GMO policies in the EU member states and open the entry for GMO crops and products. Therefore, they attempt to present this a an issue of �freedom of choice� � on the one hand, freedom for the farmers to chose what crops they will sow, and on the other hand, freedom for consumers to decide what they want to eat.

However, if we knew that the allowed GMO polution is not scientific, but rather a political value, it is clear that this is not a matter of freedom of choice by advocating of individual interests that may have long-term consequences.

The discussion by high ranking officials of the European Commission, above all Mariann Fischer Boel, EC Member responsible for agriculture and rural development, advocating coexistence and circumvention of EU rules on customer protection and protection of European farmers from GMO pollution and denying the right of the regions to declare their territories GMO-free zones, met the disproval of the majority of participants.

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace representatives reacted to her statements and appealed that no GMO seeds are allowed to be sown in Europe. The numerous representatives of �green� movements and farmers that protested in front of the venue and demanded that Europe is declared GMO free zone offered their support to the two organizations.

The European Farmers Coordination demanded, on the behalf of farmers and consumers in the EU, a ban on GMO crops and seeds and emphasized that no coexistence is possible.

Representatives of Spanish farmers warned, on the basis of their own past experience, that coexistence is impossible and that, in spite of all obstacles (physical distance) that have to exist between GMO and organic crops, the fields were contaminated and they lost their markets.

The bee-keepers from the countries that participated in the Conference promoted a GMO-free Europe, warning that bees that carry the polen from one plant to the other can�t make judgement which plant is GMO and which is not, and that honey, the most-medicinal product in the world should not lose its ages-long properties because of human greed.

The idea of GMO-free Europe was supported by Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe Zu Baringdorf, Deputy President of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, who stood for protection of consumers, farmers and the environment.

Suzanna Cenni, Tuscany Agricultural Minister and coordinator of the GMO-Free European Regions (there are 172 such regions in EU at this moment), invited the local and regional politicians to resist the pressure and continue to declare their regions GMO-Free Zones. Official statistics show that over 70% of EU consumers don�t want to eat GMO products.

Croatia, as tourist and agricultural country, should seek its chance for development in the concept of sustainable development, production of ecologically clean food grown from autochtonous seeds, which can have high market value.

However, in spite of their announced participation, there were no representatives of the Croatian Government in the Conference. It further demonstrates the unserious approach of the current Government, which not only fails to grasp the importance of reaching the status of GMO-free zone for Croatia and becoming a oasis of �healthy food�, but failed to prepare the appropriate platform on GMO issues, included in several areas of negotiations with the EU.

Such inertia of the Government leaves the environmentalists no option but to continue to fight and declare the remaining counties in Croatia GMO-free, and to promote, through subsidies, further development of organic agriculture and environmental tourism, and raise the awareness with the decision makers that we have a beautiful country to which we have certain responsibilities.