Posted on 30/11/2001
Wild
No More
Halt this reckless experiment now says FOE
Friends of the Earth is calling for an immediate global moratorium
on the
growing of GM crops [1] after new research revealed that wild
maize in
Mexico has been contaminated with GMOs. The results are revealed
in the
science journal Nature .
Researchers in Mexico found that wild maize in a remote area
of Mexico was
contaminated with genetically modified (GM) material - despite
a moratorium
on growing GM maize since 1998. The source of the GM contamination
is
unknown. The remote location of the wild maize strains suggests
that
cross-pollination may have taken place over considerable distances.
Maize
originates in Mexico. All commercial varieties were originally
bred from
this wild stock. The revelation raises concerns about pollution
from GM
crop trials in the UK. Of the GM crops currently being tested
in the UK
oilseed rape and beet crops have wild relatives [2].
Pete Riley, Real Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
These
findings are deeply disturbing and highlight the huge gamble
the biotech
industry is taking with nature. The long-term implications of
allowing GM
crops to contaminate wild plants are unknown and will be almost
impossible
to reverse. This is why Governments around the world should
halt the
dangerous experiment of growing GM crops outside."
Notes:
[1] The Biosafety Protocol (or Cartegena Protocol) was signed
in Montreal
in 1999 and allows states to control the import of GMOs if their
environment is under threat. Britain has signed - but not yet
ratified -
the protocol. The USA, the largest exporter of GM maize for
food, animal
feed and seed hasn't even signed it.
[2] Other centres of biodiversity that could be contaminated
with GM
materials are the Andes (potatoes), China (soya beans) and Thailand
(rice).
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