93% of those asked said that meat products coming from animals fed with GM feed should be labelled. Furthermore, 68% answered that they would not buy meat products if they knew GM feed was used.
The residents of Satovcha in the Blagoevgrad region of Bulgaria declared their municipality the first GMO free region of the country after a public discussion on March 20, 2006. The local authorities signed a declaration by which they join the free GMO regions of Europe.
Agrolink: Satovcha Municipality ? the first Bulgarian region without GMO
IBAMA, the enforcement arm of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, issued an order today (21 March) against Syngenta, fining the company one million reais (386,000 euros) for illegal field trials of GE soy in a buffer zone around the Iguacu Falls World Heritage Site. IBAMA made the announcement at the ongoing meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in Curitiba, Brazil. National law in Brazil expressly prohibits the planting of GMOs in conservation areas as well as buffer zones around those areas, based on the Precautionary Principle. Syngenta?s GE soy field trials were found six kilometers from the park, however national law requires a buffer zone of at least ten kilometers. In their legal declaration today, IBAMA confirmed they would maintain a ban on the planting of soy in this area. Additionally, they levied a fine of one million reais against the company, ärguing that they considered seriously ?the disrespectful attitude of Syngenta towards the Biosafety Law, which results in a serious threat to a protected ecosystem considered human patrimony under federal law, and which has other consequences not yet clarified that could result in a threat to other crop production, organic production, and human, animal, plant and environmental health.? Finally, IBAMA is directing its legal division to immediately seek judicial authorization to destroy all the GE plants in the experimental field.
The governor of Parana, who's capital Curitiba presently hosts the 8th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity signed a labelling law for the State of Parana, which requires labelling of all GMO in food and feed and their products. He also signed a decree on sustainability measure for all bids and contracts of the State, which inter alia prohibits any public aquisition of food and feed containing or derived from GMOs. Parana, which has declared itself a GMO free State and keeps Brazils biggest harbour for Soybeans, Paranagua, gmo free is the first State to implement federal national law, which requires consumer information, but has not been implemented so far. The signing ceremony was attended by small farmers and landless organisations, representatives of the federal environment ministry and international NGOs present at the CBD.
Decree I: Regulates the right to information
Decree II: Regulates the integration of environmental considerations
The eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-8) opened in Curitiba, Brazil, today. After more than a decade of planting GM crops in the environment, over 130 Parties of the United Nations Agreement on Genetically Modified Organisms, called the Biosafety Protocol, will meet in Curitiba, Brazil, to take a crucial decision that may significantly affect the current model of development and trade of GM foods around the world.
Cyprus earned a stinging rebuff from European Union authorities on Wednesday for its bid to force supermarkets to display genetically modified food on separate shelves from traditional and organic products. The European Commission has now ruled that Cyprus' draft law is incompatible with EU legislation.
Syngenta Seeds denied claims by a peasant group occupying its farm in southern Brazil that the biotechnology company's experiments with genetically modified organisms were illegal.
The Greens Movement of Georgia, FoE-Georgia and Friends of the Earth International with the support of HIVOS Foundation and Humane Earth Foundation are organizing a GMO-Free Conference and Workshop at the end of April 2006 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Farmers of Via Campesina occupied a GM soybean experimental site of Syngenta,close to the National Park of Iguacu in the State of Parana. The test site is illegal acording to them. Environment Minister Marina Silva, attending the Biosafety Protocol negotiations in Curitiba promised to investigate the case.
AP: Biotech protesters camped out at Syngenta research farm in Brazil
On Tuesday morning, roughly 1,000 Vía Campesina activists occupied facilities owned by the Switzerland-based transnational agribusiness giant Syngenta in Santa Teresa do Oeste, some 550 km from Curitiba. The protesters demanded an end to the company's illegal experiments with transgenics at the installation, which are prohibited because of its proximity to Iguazu National Park
The National Federation of Organic Farmers (FNAE) and the Information Centre on GMOs (InfOMG - Romania) announce the declaration of the first GMO-free Region in Romania. A number of 26 localities from the Bistrita Nasaud county, declared themselves as GMO-free Zones.
Businessweek: EU threatens action on modified crop bans
FOE: European Commission: contaminate, then legislate
Greenpeace: Commission launches attack on national and regional GMO laws
European Union ministers today failed to agree on how to ensure the safety and authorization of GMOs. Many ministers complained about a lack of transparency and criticised the risk assessment procedures and quality of work of EFSA, the EUs Food Safety Authority. Also the rules, which require a 2/3 majority to refuse an approval were deemed as undemocratic.
Reuters: EU Ministers take Aim at Biotech Approvals Policy
Herald Tribune: EU displays split on biotech food
marketwatch.com: E.U. ministers fail to agree on rules for GMO approval
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