OPEN LETTER BY SOUTH AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY TO SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT:

URGENT SIGN: Please email [email protected] by Monday 2nd May, 2005.
Just type in the heading of your email:
SUPPORT FOR THE MORATORIUM ON IMPORTED GM MAIZE

SOUTH AFRICA ALLOWS 2.6 MILLION TONS OF CONTAMINTED GM MAIZE TO BE IMPORTED FROM US, ARGENTINA?

Once upon a time, South Africa was a net exporter of maize. But that was before the GM revolution!

During the period 1999-2005, the South African government, in its haste to embrace genetic engineering, authorised the import of a staggering 2 683 033 tons of GM maize seed from the US and Argentina: 2679 tons for field trials; 4 264 tons for commercial planting; 1 779 115 tons as unspecified commodity imports; and 899 500 tons for animal feed.

On the 22 March 2004, the United States’ authorities informed the European Commission that up to 10 kg of Syngenta’s illegal bt10 GM maize seeds were exported from the US to test sites in Spain and France and up to 1000 metric tonnes of Bt10 feed products may have entered the European Union (EU) since 2001. The seeds entered the US through export channels for Bt11. Although Bt 11 has obtained regulatory approval in the US, the EU and South Africa Bt 10 has not been approved in the US or any other country in the world.

As a result, the EU has on 15 April 2005, banned the imports from the US of shipments of maize gluten animal feed unless they are assured that the imports are free of unauthorised GM maize. This ban effectively shuts out all imports of US maize gluten since there is currently no effective way of testing Bt10 and even if such a system is devised, it would still have to be approved in the US and EU; a process that could take some time. If Syngenta is able to develop a testing system for the EU, than it should have no problems making the same available for use by the South African authorities.

South Africa has imported from the US and Argentina a total of 1 411 145 tons of GM maize in bulk shipments containing the following GM events: Bt11, MON810, T25, and Bt176. These 4 GM events are imported together in single bulk co-mingled shipments. 511 645 tons has been imported into South Africa as unspecified commodity imports and 899 500 tons for animal feed. Additionally, the South African government has during July-August 2004, allowed Syngenta to import and commercially plant 3280 kg of Bt 11 GM maize, yielding on average 1500 tons of GM maize.

The South African government does not conduct any tests of imported GM seeds to check for the presence of unauthorised GMOs. Thus it is highly likely that the Bt11 seeds imported into South Africa may have been contaminated with the illegal Bt10 seeds. These illegal, risky and unregulated Bt 10 GM seeds may thus insidiously have entered our environment and food and seed supply.

South Africa does not segregate between GM and non-GM seeds. Thus, the contamination of maize seeds by unauthorised GM seeds seriously compromises the right of farmers to demand zero tolerance for unauthorised GMOs.

Bt10 contains a gene conferring resistance to the antibiotic ampicillan, widely used for infections of the middle ear, sinuses, bladder, kidney, meningitis etc. There is the danger that the consumption of Bt10 will confer resistance to the antibiotic, rendering it ineffective against infections. This antibiotic is widely used in South African medicine and any chance of increasing risk of antibiotic resistance in the treatment of HIV and other illnesses.

EXTREME DISQUIET AT FLOOD OF GM MAIZE IMPORTS

We are extremely concerned about the flood of GM maize being imported into South Africa from the US and Argentina. We have voiced these same concerns a year ago, but these have obviously fallen upon deaf ears.

These GM maize imports are displacing and placing at risk thousands of jobs in our agricultural sector and related industries by artificially distorting internal market forces by importing food that is both subsidised and can imported more cheaply. The South African government is acting highly irresponsibly and placing the food security of the nation in serious jeopardy. Already maize farmers are looking to convert their maize stockpiles into ethanol because they cannot sell these on the South African market due to the cheap GM maize imports flooding the market. Even then the proportion of food insecure people in this country remain high.

WE DEMAND THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT TAKE THE FOLLOWING MEASURES:

1. Urgently imposes a moratorium on the further imports of GM maize into South Africa and arranges for the following:

(a) an independent assessment to be conducted of the socio-economic impact of GM maize imports; including on the production of maize in South Africa; the distortions in the market place caused by the sale of such maize; the food security impacts for South and Southern Africa; and
(b) the establishment of a proper functioning segregation, traceability, monitoring and surveillance system in order protect our seeds from contamination, and human health and the environment from the risks posed by GMOs including, by unauthorised GMOs.

2. Immediately bans the further import and growing of Syngenta’s Bt11 GM maize;
3. Immediately withdraws all products from the South African market containing or that may contain Syngenta’s Bt11 GM maize until such time as they have been certified as being free of Bt10;
4. Urgently requires Syngenta to provide a full explanation of what has transpired with the Bt11 seeds it has imported and grown in South Africa, including a report issued by an independent laboratory certifying that maize seeds in South Africa have not been contaminated with the illegal Bt10; and
5. Requires Syngenta to establish a compensation fund to compensate farmers, producers and consumers for any damages suffered as a result of product recall of contaminated seeds, and products.

This sign on is sent out by African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering (SAFeAGE) www.safeage.org.za
Supported by:
Biowatch
African Centre for Biosafety
Earthlife Africa, Ethekwini Branch
Ekogaia Foundation
Safe Food Coalition