[A-List] US imperialism: GM crops

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

 America challenges GM crops ban

Charlotte Denny
Wednesday May 14, 2003
The Guardian

President Bush launched a legal challenge at the World Trade Organisation
yesterday, to force Europe to accept imports of American genetically
modified crops.

Raising fears of a full-scale transatlantic trade war, Washington described
Europe's five-year-old ban on GM imports as unscientific and a violation of
WTO rules. "People around the world have been eating biotech food for
years," said Robert Zoellick, America's leading trade negotiator. "Biotech
food helps nourish the world's hungry population."

Two weeks ago Brussels upped the stakes in a separate transatlantic dispute
over tax breaks for some of America's largest exporters. Europe's chief
trade negotiator, Pascal Lamy, has given Washington until September to
change its laws or face a $4bn (£2.5bn) sanctions bill authorised by the
WTO.

EU officials described yesterday's challenge as "legally unwarranted,
economically unfounded and politically unhelpful", and accused the US of
bringing the case against Europe to put pressure on other countries which
are also introducing curbs on GM imports.

"The European commission finds it unacceptable that such legitimate concerns
are used by the US against the EU policy on [GM food]," officials said.

More than 70% of US soybeans and one-third of the American corn crop come
from biotech seeds. European officials deny that there is a moratorium on GM
imports, but several member states led by France have blocked all
applications since 1998. The case is likely to inflame opinion among
environmental lobbyists and anti-globalisation protesters ahead of a meeting
of trade ministers in Cancun, Mexico, in September.

Greens accused the US of bowing to pressure from its powerful biotech lobby.
"By trying to use the WTO to force GM foods on European consumers, the US is
launching the mother of all trade wars and could bring about the
institution's collapse," said Caroline Lucas, a Green party MEP.

Under WTO rules, member states are allowed to block imports if they can
prove there is a danger to health or the environment. Despite pressure from
hostile voters, member states are determined to keep the ban, even though
studies have so far failed to uncover any dangerous side-effects.

"We've waited patiently for five years for the EU to follow the WTO rules
and the recommendations of the European commission, so as to respect safety
findings based on careful science," said Mr Zoellick.

Washington claims the ban has cost its farmers hundreds of millions of
dollars in lost sales, but European consumers are likely to prove resistant
even if the restrictions were lifted.