Rejected GM Corn Dumped in Australia 

Press Release / GeneEthics Network 8jan03

Fifty thousand tonnes of US corn containing genetically engineered (GE) varieties arrives in Brisbane today on the Ocean Emperor (into Newcastle and Melbourne later) for use as chicken feed. The Gene Technology Regulator licensed the cargo even though some GE lines have not been assessed or approved in Australia.

"Japan and Europe reject US corn over environmental, human, and animal health concerns, and India and Zambia will not accept it as food aid," says GeneEthics Network Director, Bob Phelps.

"We therefore call on the Australian government to send this ship and its suspect load back to the USA," he says.

"US GE corn is not needed here as animal feed, even for drought relief, as 350,000 tonnes of imported GE-free wheat and sorghum are also approved and Australian grains are available," he says.

"GE corn also poses economic risks for Australian food exporters as Europe and some Asian markets reject foods (meat, milk, eggs and honey, etc) from animals fed GE grains," he says.

"Products from animals fed GE would be labeled in Europe but not here," he says.

"GE corn imports affront the 68% of Australians who want to reject foods made with gene technology," he says.

"And the 93% of Australian shoppers who want all GE foods labeled are outraged by the lack of meaningful labels on any GE products here," he says.

"Though the corn will be processed on arrival, so it may not contaminate Australia, full public assessments of the animal and human health issues should have been required before the licence was granted," he says.

"For example, breeding sows in the USA fail to conceive when fed GE corn containing insect toxin, which the Regulator is still assessing," he says.

"Send this GE corn back to the USA till it's proven safe and saleable," Mr. Phelps concludes.

More comment: Bob Phelps 03 9347 4500:
John Hepburn (Greenpeace) 02 9263 0302

PLEASE NOTE: GeneEthics Network has moved. New address follows.

Bob Phelps
Executive Director
GeneEthics Network
Level 1, 60 Leicester St, Carlton 3053 Australia
Tel: 03 9347 4500 {Int Code 613} or 1300 133868
info@geneethics.org  (Bob Phelps)
WWW: http://www.geneethics.org

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