In Argentina, activists and farmers demand an end to forest destruction for soy planting
Our global action against genetically modified (GM) crops and food continues, and the biotech industry is feeling the heat.
GM soya is of particular interest to Greenpeace, because we believe its widespread use is the thin edge of the wedge. Our efforts are paying off. Venezuela recently banned GM, shredding a contract with Monsanto to plant 500,000 acres of Roundup Ready soya.
We recently stopped a 30,000 ton Argentinian GM soya shipment from entering the GM-free harbour of Paranagua in Brazil, where it was to be top-loaded with non-GM Parana soya. After blocking the ship "Global Winds" for a day, bad weather forced our activists off the ship's anchor chain and it fled out to sea. Paranagua's harbour authorities were supportive of our efforts to help the state and harbour remain GM-free.
In Argentina, we are working with small farmers that are being evicted from their land to make way for new GM soya plantations - despite the extensive contamination problems GM soya has already caused in the country. On May 10, more than 350 farmers and activists created a 'Soya Border' and displayed a huge banner demanding a stop to forest destruction caused by soya agriculture (pictured above).
The same day, activists from our ship the Esperanza boarded yet another GM shipment from Argentina in the Italian port of Chioccia, preventing it from going into port and unloading its 40,000 tons of animal feed-grade GM soya imported by Bunge and Cargill.
In China, where people have been cultivating soya without GM seeds for 5,000 years, we recently conducted the first ever opinion poll of consumer attitudes to GM-food. China is the world's biggest food market and the poll found the majority of shoppers preferred non-GM food and almost all respondents want GM food to be labelled.
We also launched a shopper's guide which prompted 78 major food brands - including Danone, Heinz, Lay's, Lipton and Lotte - to commit to non-GM policies in mainland China.
Meanwhile, since the new EU labelling and traceability laws entered into force on April 18, 2004 Europe's big food producers and retailers have confirmed they do not want to produce and/or stock GM-labelled food at this point in time.
Hundreds of Greenpeace volunteers have joined local "gene detective" networks to investigate supermarket shelves across Europe. They have detected only a few products containing the new GM labels (required for food with above 0.9% GM content). Meanwhile our offices have received several hundred company commitments to remain GM-free.
Unfortunately, meat and dairy products from animals kept on GM feed are not required to be labelled. Millions of tons of GM crops are currently imported into Europe and used for animal feed - mostly soya but also corn gluten.
The EU has, however, failed to offer qualified majority support for the approval of Bt-11 maize from Syngenta and NK603 from Monsanto. Whilst the EU did not reject the GM crops either, the lack of a majority means the decision will now be made by the EU Commission itself.
The EU put a moratorium on the commercial growth of these GM crops, and we are calling on the EC to listen to consumers and ensure they never make it to the market. Greenpeace and a coalition of farming lobby groups handed EU environment commissioner Margot Wallstr?m a petition, demanding she "Save our Seeds" by preventing the EU from adopting rules allowing for GM contamination of conventional seeds.
The petition was signed by 200,000 European citizens and more than 300 farmer, consumer and environmental organisations, trade unions, food companies, scientists, churches and other civil society groups (with a total of more than 25 million members).
More global actions against GM soy.
