30th June 2003

Objection to US plans on GMOs

Friends of the Earth have written to US ambassador Anthony Gioia to express their deep regret that the US government has asked the World Trade Organisation to conduct formal consultations over European approval regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The organisation said the people of Europe have repeatedly declared they do not wish to eat foods derived from or containing GMOs. Europe is in the process of developing important legislation that will allow consumers formally to express that choice, a choice the US government has not offered its citizens.

Friends of the Earth said that should the EU succumb to the intense pressure, it would have disastrous results on the island's environment.