[Gen-Streitfall] AFRICAN GROUPS ACCUSE WFP AND USAID OF DENYINGAFRICA'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO REJECT GM FOOD AID

[Sabine]

---- Original Message ----- 
From: ECOTERRA Intl. 
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 10:22 PM
Subject: AFRICAN GROUPS ACCUSE WFP AND USAID OF DENYING AFRICA'S RIGHT
TO CHOOSE TO REJECT GM FOOD AID


PRESS RELEASE 
AFRICAN GROUPS ACCUSE WFP AND USAID OF DENYING AFRICA'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE
TO REJECT GM FOOD AID 

Embargoed until Noon, 4th May 2004 
 see already:  Mail&Guardian: **African countries 'forced' to accept GM
food aid** 
 at: http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=65792 

Johannesburg, 4th May 2004. More than 60 groups representing farmer,
consumer, environmental and development organisations from 15 African
countries have today, sent an open letter of protest to the World Food
Programme (WFP).  These groups are protesting against the pressure
exerted by the WFP and USAID on Sudan and Angola over their respective
decisions to impose restrictions on GM food aid. The groups are
demanding that the WFP and USAID immediately desist from misleading the
governments of Angola and Sudan with a scenario of NO CHOICE, and
forcing them to accept GM food aid. 

Sudan has requested that GM food aid be certified "GM free" and Angola
will accept GM food aid only on condition that whole GM grain is first
milled. Despite the Sudanese government having put in place an interim
waiver on the GM food restriction until July 2004, USAID cut off food
aid to Sudan. The US government has since continued to exert enormous
pressure on Sudan, with the result that the Sudanese government has
relented and extended the waiver for a further period of 6 months,
allowing the distribution of GM food to continue until January 2005. 

The WFP responded to the Angolan government by saying that the country
would face a significant decrease in the provision of food aid if it
continued to insist the GM grain is first milled. 

The African groups are of the view that the WFP responded
inappropriately to Sudan and Angola because it should have guaranteed
the right of these countries to reject or impose restrictions on GM food
aid. 

"The scenario presented by the WFP and USAID to these African countries,
is either they accept GM food or face dire consequences. These actions
are totally unacceptable" said Bryan Ashe from Earthlife Africa. 

The protest letter points out that the WFP knew as long ago as May 2003,
that the Sudanese government intended to impose restrictions on GM food
aid. Furthermore, they allege that the WFP must also have been aware of
the August 2003 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on
Biotechnology and Biosafety of the Southern African Development
Community, (SADC), of which Angola is a member, that its member states
mill all GM grain before accepting it as food aid. Thus they say, the
WFP has had adequate advanced warning to react to the decisions taken by
the governments of Angola and Sudan in an appropriate and timeous
manner. The WFP instead chose to make the entire issue controversial
once again. 

"The WFP obviously has learnt very little from the Southern African food
aid crisis, when several Southern African countries imposed restrictions
on GM food aid. These countries too, faced overwhelming pressure from
USAID and the WFP. However, Zambia, which imposed an outright ban on the
acceptance of GM food aid, not only managed to cope with its crisis, but
is now even able to export non-GM food to its neighbours" said Mariam
Mayet from Africa Center for biosafety. 

A new report titled "GM Food Aid: Africa denied choice once again" was
also presented today, and shows very clearly that overall, non-GM
alternatives exist at national, regional and international levels, and
donors should make these available to Sudan and Angola. The WFP and the
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations have both
officially recognized that Sudan has an abundance of food available in
the country. Non-GM alternatives need to be fully explored in Angola.
Furthermore, regional and international non-GM alternative sources also
exist. 
  

-------------------------- 

To view the letter addressed by African NGOs to the WFP, and the new
report "GM Food Aid: Africa denied choice once again" see: 

http://www.earthlife-ct.org.za/ct/index.php 

For further information contact: 

Bryan Ash, EarthLife Africa: +27 (0) 31 201 1119, or +27 (0) 82 65 21
533 
Mariam Mayet, African Center for Biosafety: +27 11 646 06 99 
- or ECOTERRA Intl. in Nairobi : +254-20-882658 

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