Why Africa should reject GE contaminated food.

[Brendan Boal]

WSSD / Earth Summit Press Release
Why Africa SHOULD Reject GE Contaminated Food Aid

Embargoed: 12.00hrs 30/08/2002 					Johannesburg,
South Africa

Statement from:
 Dr Lewanika, Scientific adviser to the
Zambian government.
 Dr Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, Spokesperson for
the African Biosafety Proposal.
 Fred Kalibiwane, Organizer of the Farmers
Convergence.
 Million Belay, Steering Committee of the
African Civil Society Group. 

Issue:
Three international reports have been released
promoting Genetically Engineered (GE) food in the lead
up to WSSD. Each report is funded by parties with a
vested interest for the success of GE food.
African nations have united against this biased
research: 
1.	World Food Programme Report saying GE Food Aid
should be accepted. 
2.	WTO - WHO Report saying GE is not harmful. 
3.	UN Economic Commission for Africa is pro GE farming
and medicine.
Africa's Response: 
 Uganda and Tanzania have both offered Zambia
GE free food. They argue that there is enough food in
Africa to help Zambia. However, ineffective
infrastructure hampers distribution of this food to
drought-stricken areas.
 The US is disposing of its rejected food on
Africa. Africa will not allow itself to become a
dumping ground. This is another form of colonisation:
first through slavery, then economic colonisation and
now the control of food and medicine through GE,
creating total dependency through patented and
terminated seed and medicines.
 Food crops given as aid are often planted.
This leads to contamination as Mexico has experienced.
There must be solidarity across Africa for strict
controls and decisions.
Solutions to Africa's regular droughts are not food
aid from the North nor technology. 
It is: 
o	Enhancing traditional systems of food production
where farmers control their own diverse livelihood
systems.
o	Improving infrastructure so food can be transported
from areas of surplus to areas of need within Africa
as a priority
Zambia's Response:
Dr Lewanika, a scientific advisor to the Zambian
government explains why Zambia rejects GE Food Aid and
why other African countries should do so too:
 Zambia has had public debates on the issue.
The majority of small scale farmers said they would
rather starve than use GE food. Hunger is a real issue
in Zambia, however, there is still time to prepare and
to provide GE free food.
 Aid was not offered - money ($51 million) was
given as a loan to the private sector to import maize
from the USA. When this maize was imported Zambia was
not informed that it was GE contaminated. It is
important to get prior consent from a country rather
than imposing GE contaminated food grain on a nation.
 Currently, there is no regulatory system in
place in Zambia to evaluate, accept or reject
Genetically Modified Organisms. The debate about
safety, human health and the environment still rages
on. Until the issue is clear, Zambia chooses to take
precautionary steps.
-- ends --
Notes to Editors: For more information contact in
South Africa (0027-):
Sangeeta Haindl on (0)834 468 8523 or Marise du Preez
on (0)825 781 833. 


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