THE "vested interests of US trade" and the biotechnology business have won out, Green MEP Ms Patricia McKenna has claimed in the wake of failure to secure a world biosafety protocol on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The UN talks, which broke up last week in Cartagena, Colombia, were aimed at establishing international rules for the movement of GMOs, but a tiny number of countries had scuttled the process, she said, "and the only reason seems to be financial greed".
The EU and most developing countries wanted guarantees to limit the risks of cross-border movement of GMOs, particularly those containing live organisms, Ms McKenna said.
"It is obvious that the US stand is to do with trade disputes. EU requirements for putting GMOs on the market and the required labelling of GM products (in Europe) have not pleased the Americans. They are trying to force these products onto European consumers so its biotechnology industry can expand." Ms McKenna welcomed indications from Environment Commissioner Ms Ritt Bjerregaard, that she plans to work for an agreement without the US, if necessary.
What was known as the "Miami group" - all large grain-exporting countries including Canada, Argentina, Uruguay and Australia - had triggered the breakdown. "They wanted to exclude from the protocol all commodity crops accounting for more than 90 per cent of GMOs currently traded around the world. This is a case of business winning out over safety and common sense." The MEP joined Greenpeace in calling for governments to ban imports of GM crops.
