Bonn, Germany, May 14, 2008 – Six Brazilian organizations representing family and ecological farmers, consumers, environmentalists and human rights movements have issued today a denounce against the Brazilian Government for disregarding the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol on Biosafety. The document has been presented to a member of the Compliance Committee at the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (MOP 4) in Bonn, Germany.

By not complying with the Protocol and also with national legislation, the Brazilian government is promoting ilegalities and disrespecting the rights of local communities and consumers. This is unacceptable”, Said Darci Frigo, from the NGO Terra de Direitos.

This is the first time a denounce like this happens under the Protocol scope. For signatory organizations, the Brazilian behavior poses risks for the planet, since the country is a megadiverse and a big grain exporter. Maria José da Costa, from Via Campesina Brazil, highlights that “the Brazilian government is disrespecting farmers and risking the agrobiodiversity on which we depend. This irresponsible attitude afects the entire planet, because Brazil is the centre of origin for cotton and a centre of diversity for maize. Brazilian campesino movements will keep fighting against the release of GMOs and the interests of biotechnology multinationals”.

The denounce shows that Brazil has disregarded key aspects of the Biosafety Protocol. One of the most relevant facts mentioned is the non adoption of measures to avoid risks to biodiversity and to human health and the lack of studies about environmental impacts of the GM maize at Brazilian ecosystems, which are mandatory according to the Protocol. The organizations base their report on data from the official Health and Environment Brazilian agencies, which have objected to the decision to approve GM maize commercial growing.

For Gabriel Fernandes, from AS-PTA “the Federal Government couldn’t simply have disconsidered the important risk concerns raised by its health and environment agencies”.

The organizations also denounce the inaction of the Federal Government to cope with the illegal GM cultivation and the disregard with MOP 3 decision, which establishes, whenever possible, the clear identification of shipments containing LMOs (living modified organisms) for export.

The Brazilian government has systematically avoided to implement any measure to guarantee proper identification of GM products, both in the domestic and the international market”, said Gabriela Vuolo, from Greenpeace Brazil.
The organizations request, in the document, that the Compliance Committee take note of the information and the official documents presented, analyse them and notifies Brazil about the non compliance of the rules.

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Contacts for the press:

In Brazil:
 
Andrea Salazar  (11) 3672-3817
Darci Frigo (41) 9916 4189  

In Germany:

Maria Rita Reis: 55 (41) 9916 4189
Marijane Lisboa: 55 (41) 99164189
Gabriel Fernandes: 55 (21) 8124 0095
Gabriela Vuolo: 55 (11) 8245 2251

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This document is presented to the Compliance Committee of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety by the following organizations:

ANPA - (National Association of Small Farmers), civil association from Santa Catarina State that gathers 100 associations and small farmers' cooperatives from all over Brazil. It represents almost 80,000 small farmers;

AS-PTA – Consultancy and Services to Projects in Alternative Agriculture, a philanthropic institution, based in Rio de Janeiro, that promotes the development of agriculture based on agroecological techniques and family farming;

Terra de Direitos - civil organization on human rights, that defends human economics, social, cultural and environmental rights, based in Curitiba, Paraná;

IDEC (Brazilian Institute of Consumer Rights) - civil association that defends consumers, providing legal assistance, is part of Consumers International;

Greenpeace Brasil - independent organization that campaign by the means for non-violent confronts to expose global environmental problems and achieve solutions that are essential for a green and peaceful future;

AAO Organic Agriculture Association - Brazilian organization that represents farmers and consumers of organic products, based in Sao Paulo.