GMO ROUNDUP: DISPUTE UPDATE, ANNUAL GM REPORTS RELEASED, BRAZIL APPROVES CORN VARIETIES

Dispute Update

Time has officially run out for the EU to comply with a WTO ruling against its application of its approval system for genetically modified (GM) crops. However, the EU and the victors of the case - the US, Canada and Argentina - are engaged in ongoing discussions on compliance, they told a meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).

The case dates back to 2003, when the US, Canada and Argentina initiated WTO dispute proceedings with the EU in regard to its policies on genetically modified food imports, claiming the EU had in place a de facto moratorium on the approval of GM products. In 2006, the panel ruled in favour of the complainants. In November 2006, the EU was given twelve months to comply with the report (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 6 July 2007, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/07-07-06/story1.htm). This deadline was later modified and extended.

The EU has restarted an approval process for GM plants, and told the DSB that 17 varieties had been approved over the last four years. However, the US felt the process was still too slow. "A handful of approvals over a nine-year period is, unfortunately, of little commercial significance," according to a US official.

Due to continued member state resistance to GMOs and the existence of member state biotech bans, the EU faces additional difficulties in complying with the WTO ruling (see Bridges BioRes, 25 January 2008, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/08-01-25/story4.htm).

The US has reserved its right to retaliate as the trading partners continue to discuss how the EU can come into compliance with the WTO ruling. Should further negotiations prove futile however, the US said it will resume a suspended arbitration process.

GMOs or pesticide use on the rise?

In its annual report, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) - a biotech industry group - said biotech crops were planted on 282.4 million acres, 12 percent more than the total acreage planted in 2006. Twenty-three countries, eight of which were in the EU, grew these crops. The report concluded that GMOs had "delivered significant economic, environmental, health and social benefits to both small and large farmers in developing and industrial countries."

The chairman of the ISAAA, Clive James, said GMO's were the "fastest-adopted technology in agriculture as far as crops [were] concerned." He expected Asia to be the place "where you are going to get significant growth in new hectares from 2006 to 2015."

As in previous years, GM-sceptic organisations criticised the report. In a counter report, environmental group Friends of the Earth, said that GMOs "have led to a large increase in chemical use and have failed to increase yields or tackle world hunger and poverty." For example, there has been a 15-fold increase in the use of the glyphosate herbicide (weed killer) in the US between 1994 and 2005, leading to an "epidemic of weeds resistant to the chemical." Opponents also stressed that the GMO crops were not being used to alleviate hunger, but as animal feed in developed countries.

Brazil approves GM corn varieties

Two GMO corn varieties, MON810 and LibertyLink were approved by Brazil's National Biosafety Council, the highest authority with regard to biosafety, on 12 February. This council had undertaken a final review of the social and economic aspects of GMOs. Brazil's science minister, Sergio Rezende, said that "from the science and technology point of view, it was considered that the approved seeds are safe for human and animal consumption, and for the environment." These two GM corn varieties are the first for which the full approval process has been completed following the entry into force of a new biosafety law.

Although one of the world's largest growers of GM crops, this decision was met with resistance in Brazil. Farmers' group Via Campesina said that the studies relied on were "completely inadequate and insufficient to guarantee the safety of these products in terms of human health" and the "government had acted with 'great irresponsibility.'"

ICTSD Reporting; "France to Formally Request GMO Ban at EU Level," Reuters, 8 February 2008; "EU Lawyers Take Action against Poland Over GMO Ban," Reuters, 1 February 2008; "Poland to Hamper GMO Planting Despite Lifting Ban," Reuters, 11 February 2008; "US Seeks to Retaliate Against EU in GMO Case," Reuters, 31 January 2008; "EU, US Seek Arbitration in Biotech Crops Row," Reuters, 11 February 2008; "Factbox - Report Says GMO Crops on Rise Globally," Reuters, 14 February 2008; "GMO Industry Group Sees Growing Global Acceptance," Reuters, 14 February 2008; "GMO Plantings Rise, Greens Cite Environment Risks," 14 February 2008; "Brazil Gives Final Permit for GMO Corn Varieties," Reuters, 13 February 2008; "Brazil Authorizes Genetically Modified Crops," Agence France-Presse, 13 February 2008; "US, EU in Talks to Solve Biotech Crops Dispute," Reuters, 20 February 2008; "UK Chief Scientist Sees Role for GMO Crops," Reuters, 20 February 2008; "Analysis - Food Supply Fears Heighten UK Debate on GMO Crops," Reuters, 20 February 2008.