[asia-apec 1485] Eastern Europe Opposes US Budget Proposals to Push Agricultural Biotech

[Anuradha Mittal]

For Immediate Release

Green Groups in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union Oppose U.S. 
Budget Proposals to push agricultural biotech in their region

11 July 2000 -- Amid growing debate over the safety and productivity of
genetically modified crops in its own country, the United States is 
looking to allocate at least US$30 million to promote U.S. 
agro-biotechnology in the former communist bloc. Additional funding is 
earmarked for technical exchange programmes for foreign officials to 
teach them about the U.S. regulatory system "to approve agricultural 
products using biotechnology".The budget proposals are going before the 
U.S. Senate for their third reading during the next Senate session, 
which started this week.

Environmental groups in Eastern Europe are outraged that their countries 
should be targeted for the promotion of ag-biotech. "In the Ukraine, we 
already have to live with the legacy of Chernobyl. In the last decade, 
we have become the dumping ground for nuclear technologies. Now, we see 
the transfer of another hazardous technology, unwanted in the West - 
ag-biotech", said Tamara Malkova, from the group, Green Dossier, based 
in Kiev, Ukraine.

"In Russia, we know from UNIDO that Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans 
are already being grown commercially, yet even Russian officials are 
unable to get information from companies, like Monsanto. The 
corporations are paying Russian institutes directly to do the trials, 
and completely by-passing the regulatory system" said Olga Berlova, from 
the Russian environmental network, Socio-Ecological Union, based in 
Moscow.

Many countries in the region still have no regulatory framework to 
control releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), even though 
field trials of genetically engineered (GE) crops have been taking place 
for several years and GE foods are already on the market. Even in those 
countries with GMO laws, they are either weak or not enforced, and with 
few exceptions, provide no public right to information about releases.

"Ukraine does not have the institutional capacity to regulate GMOs. No
official can assure the public that Bt potatoes are not on the loose in
Ukraine. No one knows what is growing in our fields, or what we are 
eating. At the same time, U.S. organisations, like USAID and Citizens 
Network Agribusiness Alliance, whose members include Monsanto, are 
helping our officials to draft a biosafety law", adds Tanja Topchiy, 
also from Green Dossier.

Many of the countries in this region are aspiring to join the European 
Union (EU). "We need to apply the precautionary principle when 
regulating GMOs in order to harmonise our regulations with those in the 
EU. The U.S. approval system for GMOs is too permissive and is not one 
that Hungary should be following", said Veronika Mora, from the 
Hungarian environmental group, ETK.

Countries like Bulgaria, are today torn between U.S. seed producers, 
like Monsanto and Pioneer, already offering farmers GE maize seeds and 
corporate food processors, like the Belgium company Amylum and the UK 
grain trader, Glencore, who export to EU markets and who are demanding 
GE-free food.

"These companies are starting to demand certificates of purity of 
Bulgarian maize. The absence of segregation, labelling and hence 
traceability threatens to destroy Bulgaria's export market to the EU", 
explains Iza Kruszewska, from ANPED, The Northern Alliance for 
Sustainability, an NGO network based in Amsterdam, supporting groups in 
Eastern Europe.

According to Dr. Peter Rosset, from the U.S. group  Food First and The
Institute for Food and Development Policy: "The U.S. regulatory agencies 
-- FDA, EPA and USDA -- have been asleep at the wheel with regard to 
human health and environmental risk assessment of transgenic crops.  
It's an outrage, and other countries have good reason to be concerned 
about U.S. exports and food aid."

Groups in Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States have drafted a 
statement (see attached) addressed to the U.S. Senate expressing their 
concerns and requesting that this aid money would be better spent on 
assessing the environmental, health and socio-economic risks of GE 
crops, or promoting organic agriculture. The statement has been signed 
by over 20 organisations, based in 9 countries, has been sent to 
Senators and to the U.S. Embassies in several countries in the region, 
including Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

For more information, contact:
Iza Kruszewska, Tel: +44 20 8672 3454 E-mail: iza at cpa-iza.u-net.com
Tanja Topchiy, Tel: +380 44 476 8428 E-mail: ttopchiy at hotmail.com
Olga Berlova, Tel: +7 (095) 124 7934 E-mail: seupress at glasnet.ru

______________________________________________________________________________


Statement from  NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly 
Independent States to the U.S. Senate

We, citizen-based organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and the
Newly Independent States, who are campaigning to raise awareness of the
potential threats of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), are writing 
to express our concerns regarding U.S. budget proposals for supporting
agricultural biotechnology in our region. In particular, we oppose two
Government proposals, which are due to go before the U.S. Senate in 
July2000: S. 2522 and S. 2382. We consider Sections "Development 
Assistance" (S.2522) and "International Educational Programs", 
"Development of Expertise in the US Agency for International 
Development" and "Co-ordinated Federal Strategy" (S. 2382) as an open 
political tool to finance pro-biotech activities in CEE-NIS from the US 
budget.

There are reasons to believe that the desire to make the public in our
countries more receptive to genetically modified (GM) products approved
under the US regulatory system, is dictated exclusively by the financial 
interests of biotech industry. This approach exploits the lack of 
regulatory and institutional capacity of our State administrations, the 
absence of public awareness and the weak democratic structures in our 
region.

In countries, such as Ukraine, we have witnessed how U.S.organisations,
like USAID and the Citizens Network Agribusiness Alliance are working to 
promote permissive regulatory regimes for GM seeds and crops. We refuse 
to allow our countries to become a dump for GM seeds and foods, which 
are either unwanted or illegal in the countries of the European Union, 
which many of our countries are hoping to join.

Although we recognise that our countries benefit from US financial 
support, we believe that more needs to be done on assessing the 
environmental, health, and socio-economic risks -- as well as the 
questionable necessity --of genetically engineered crops before their 
large-scale development and introduction in our countries. Indeed, we 
would prefer to see US support for more sustainable agricultural 
systems, such as organic farming.
 

Sign-Ons:
Iza Kruszewska, ANPED, Northern Alliance for Sustainability, The 
Netherlands
Tanja Topchiy, Tamara Malkova, Green Dossier, Ukraine
Dian Deianov, EcoSouthWest, Bulgari,
Kalin Anastasov, EcoSouthWest, Bulgaria
Olga Berlova, Socio-ecological Union, Moscow, Russia
Ieva Zalite, Green Liberty, ZB, Latvia
Veronika Mora, ETK, Hungary
Ilya Trombitsky, BIOTICA Ecological Society, Moldova
Nina Holland, A SEED, The Netherlands
Mariam Jorjadze, ELKANA, Tbilisi, Georgia
Aurel Duta, MAMA TERRA / For Mother Earth-Romania
Yarovoy Vyacheslav, Fund "Lider", Khmelnitskiy Department, Ukraine;
Edward Gladkov, Khmelnitskiy Youth League, Ukraine;
Interecocentre, Ukraine;
Anna Onisimova, MAMA-86, Ukraine;
GUTTA-CLUB (Republican Youth Center) and Republican Environmental 
newspaper
for youth "GUTTA", Moldova;
Vladimir Lagutov, Center of Coordination and Information "AzovBass",
Regional Ecological Movement "Green Don", Russia
Nataliya Akulenko, Ukrainian Energy Brigades, Ukraine
Andrey Artov, Crimean Republican Association "Ekologia i Mir", Crimea, 
Ukraine
Nana Nemsadze, Green Movement, Georgia,
Levan Paposhvili, Agrobiodiversity Protection Society "Dika", Georgia
Natasha Petrushkevich,  Andrej Axremenko, Dmitry Drangovsi, YEM Belaja 
Rus,
Belarus
Jurgita Maciunaite, Vilnius Nature Protection Society Youth Club, 
Lithuania
Moscow Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Russia;
International Union of Food and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF);
Intellectual Center "The Man and The Environment", Baku, Azerbaidzhan
Andrey Rudomaha, Independent Environmental Service on North West 
Caucasus;
Society for the Protection of Environment, Khmelnitskiy, Ukraine;
Compass Club, Ukraine;
Youth Astronomic Organisation "Outlook from the space", Simpheropol, 
Crimea,
Ukraine;
Tatiana Novikova, news writer for "Chronika" and "Nasha Svoboda",
Belorussia;
Environmental magazine " Climate of Belorussia";
Association "Nash Dom", Ukraine;
Victor Belogurov, Emergency Rescue Service of Kharkov, Ukraine;
Alexander Karpov, St.Petersburg Society of Naturalists, Russia;
Ukrainian Youth Ecological League, Zhitomir, Ukraine;
Ewa Sieniarska "Social Ecological Insitute", Warsaw Poland
Ela Priwiezencew "Social Ecological Insitute", Warsaw Poland

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