Academic and Science Community Applauds WTO GMO Ruling
Contact: Dr. CS Prakash of the AgBioWorld Foundation, 334-444-7884;
Prakash(at)tuskegee.edu
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7-- Independent academics
and scientists from around the globe applaud the long-awaited World
Trade Organization ruling today which directs the European Union to
end its defacto moratorium on biotechnology-improved crops.
"This decision affects not only Argentina, Canada and the United
States, who prevailed in this complaint, but the future of agricultural
biotechnology for all countries," said Professor C.S. Prakash,
president of the AgBioWorld Foundation. "This favorable ruling
gives European farmers the option to use safe, approved and proven tools
to grow food crops, and gives consumers the right to choose those foods
in grocery stores."
Over 3,400 scientists, including 25
Nobel Laureates such as Dr. Norman Borlaug, Dr. James Watson, Dr.
Arthur Kornberg, Dr. Marshall Nirenberg, Dr. Peter Doherty, Dr. Paul
Berg, Mr. Oscar Arias Sanchez and Dr. John Boyer have signed a declaration
of support for agricultural biotechnology sponsored by the AgBioWorld
Foundation. The Foundation hopes that WTO panel decision will be an
important step towards replacing special interest politics with sound
science and responsible regulatory and market practices wdhich will
benefit consumers in Europe and throughout the globe.
"This ruling enables developing nations to feel confident that
they can adopt the modern crop technologies they need to feed their
people while retaining access to European export markets," added
Prakash. "Independent scientific bodies, including the American
Medical Association and the World Health Organization - not to mention
tens of millions of consumers across the globe - agree that biotech
crops with such beneficial traits as resistance to drought, pests and
weeds offer the potential of increased agrdicultural productivity and
improved nutrition, which can contribute directly to enhanced human
health and development."
The ruling supports a 15-year study funded by the European Union itself
found that biotech plants and products have not "shown any new
risks to human health or the environment" and concluded that these
foods are in fact safer than conventional foods.
Some 222 million acres were planted with biotech crops last year. Of
this, more than one-third was in developing countries. Biotech crops
are grown by approximately 8.5 million farmers, with roughly 90 percent
living in developing countries. That represents a huge contribution
to the economies of the poorest countries in the world.
C. S. Prakash is professor of plant biotechnology at Tuskegee University,
Alabama and president of the AgBioWorld Foundation.
The AgBioWorld Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered
in Auburn, Alabama, and is run by Professor C.S. Prakash of TuskegeeUniversity.
AgBioWorld aims to provide science-based information on agricultural
biotechnology issues to various stakeholders across the world. Its website
and e-mail service are a daily source of information for thousands of
subscribers from dozens of countries.