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Will
the Austrian “Freedom of choice” conference on co-existence live up to its
title? Brussels, 4 April 2006: Tomorrow the Austrian Presidency conference on “Co-existence of genetically modified, conventional and organic crops - Freedom of choice” opens in Vienna. Looking at the agenda however you could be forgiven for thinking this conference is not intended to be about freedom of choice or co-existence at all[1]. Why? · Thousands of European farmers grew GMOs last year, successfully co-existing with their neighbors – yet they were not invited to present their practical experience. · In the last 3 years alone, independent, scientific studies on co-existence have been conducted in six European countries – yet these scientists with field experience were not invited to present their findings. “It is ironic that a conference that is labeled as ‘freedom of choice’ does not include any of the thousands of farmers or independent scientists with co-existence experience in the speaker’s line up. Furthermore several farmers who requested a platform to speak were denied the opportunity,” says Simon Barber, Director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at EuropaBio - the European association for bioindustries. “I fully support the UK Farm Supply Chain Group SCIMAC’s [2], statement yesterday (4 April) that “co-existence …. should not be treated as a pro or anti GM issue”, co-existence is about enabling farmers to make a practical choice between conventional, organic and GM crop production, to meet labelling and/or purity criteria. It is not a safety issue – it is precisely about the freedom to choose,” Growing similar crops for different markets in the same farming region is not a new challenge and the use of GM crop varieties alongside non-GM crops does not fundamentally change the current situation regarding coexistence. As with the coexistence of other crops and farming systems, it should remain the responsibility of individual farmers to assure the quality of their crops, choosing quality assurance practices that are most suited to their farming systems and regions. Applying these established principles – based on common sense, forethought, neighbourliness and good communication – can ensure that those who choose not to cultivate GM varieties will be able to grow their crops alongside those who do. Co-existence of GM and non-GM crops is already a reality in Spain, where a quarter of a million hectares of Bt maize has been grown since 1998 with no substantiated problems, this is also the situation in other parts of the world of co-existence and millions of hectares are grown around the world, again without problems. “If the Vienna conference is about ensuring choice, why does this conference not give the floor to the many farmers, grain handlers, local political leaders and scientists who from these countries can actually share their positive experiences?” asks Simon Barber.
ENDS For more information, contact Sian Hughes, Tel: + 32 2 548 0277 Mobile: +32 485 915 707 Email: sian.hughes@thecentre.eu.com Simon Barber, Tel: +32 2 735 0313 Direct: +32 2 739 1172 Mobile: +32 476 44 24 20 Email: s.barber@europabio.org Adeline Farrelly Tel: +32 2 735 0313 Direct: +32 2 739 1174 Mobile: +32 475 93 17 24 Email: a.farrelly@europabio.org Web site resources for journalists: Commission report on co-existence – Press Release Commission guidelines on co-existence JRC study - New case studies on the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops in European agriculture http://www.jrc.es/home/pages/eur22102enfinal.pdf Find out all you want to know about GMOs, visit the GMO compass consumer information site http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/home/ About EuropaBio EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has 60 direct members operating worldwide and 25 national biotechnology associations representing some 1500 small and medium sized enterprises involved in research and development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products. Notes to editor [1] Fact sheet on co-existence – Understanding Co-existence – a fact file about the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops [2]SCIMAC – GM crop co-existence in perspective - http://www.scimac.org.uk
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