----- forwarded message ----- Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 05:26:09 -0700 From: Teresa Binstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: US ready to declare GM food war
The WTO-gestapo are relentless: > US ready to declare GM food war > By Edward Alden in Washington > Published: January 10 2003 4:00 [and copy-paste url] > > >ttp://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1039524389155 > > The top US trade official said yesterday he was ready to launch a World Trade > Organisation challenge against the European Union over its refusal to lift a > de facto moratorium on the approval of new genetically-modified crops. > > Robert Zoellick, the US trade representative, said: "I personally am of the > view that we now need to bring a case." He called the moratorium "a total > violation of the WTO". A challenge to European restrictions on > genetically-modified products would be among the most contentious issues yet > to confront the WTO's dispute settlement process. > > Mr Zoellick's comments come after years of indecision, during which two US > administrations had weighed carefully whether a WTO case would help to open > global markets for bio-engineered foods or might instead trigger a broader > consumer backlash that would hurt American farmers. > > The US now looks likely to end that indecision, primarily because of fears > that Europe's opposition to bio-engineered foods is spreading to Africa and > Asia. Several African countries have rejected US food aid shipments containing > genetically-modified crops, and Mr Zoellick charged that some European > countries had pressed Africa to reject the US aid. > > He called it "extremely disturbing" that "the European anti-scientific > policies are spreading to other corners of the world". He said > genetically-modified crops were critical to help farmers in poor countries > grow crops under difficult conditions. > > An inter-agency group of senior US officials agreed last month that the US > should bring a WTO case unless Europe took concrete steps to end the > moratorium. A decision by the full US cabinet is likely this month. > > The EU has for more than four years maintained an effective moratorium on > approving new genetically-modified crops, responding to consumer and interest > group pressures. The European Commission favours ending the moratorium but > failed to persuade member states late last year. > > The EU is also developing a new system for tracing and labelling > genetically-modified foods, a scheme that the US argues would permanently > block the European market for many US foods. > > The US won a similar case in 1997, in which the WTO ordered Europe to lift a > ban on imports of hormone-treated beef. The EU has so far failed to implement > the ruling. But Mr Zoellick said that, even though the victory in the beef > case did not open the European market for US exports, it stopped similar bans > from spreading to other countries. > > A WTO case is likely to upset US efforts to win European co-operation in other > areas, however. Mr Zoellick acknowledged yesterday that the Doha Round of > world trade talks is stalled while the EU determines how much it is prepared > to liberalise its agricultural sector. > > Pascal Lamy, the EU trade commissioner, said the EU would fight the US if it > brought a WTO case over genetically-modified crops. "If there were to be > litigation, of course we would fight it and I believe we would win it."
