|
|
|
|
|
TITLE: U.S. Criticises Sri Lankan Ban On GM Foods |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: Reuters |
DATE: May 10, 2001 |
|
The United States on Thursday criticised Sri Lanka's decision to ban all genetically modified (GM) foods and said the move would trigger an inquiry by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Sri Lanka became one of the first countries to impose a total ban on GM foods, from May, 1 to avert suspected health risks. "We know of no credible scientific evidence justifying Sri Lanka's ban. We believe it is totally unwarranted," Weyland Beeghly, agricultural counsellor of the U.S. Embassy in neighbouring India, told a news conference in Colombo. Beeghly said the WTO had already called on Sri Lanka to provide scientific evidence to support its decision and added he saw little evidence other countries in the region would follow suit. "India is already pursuing its own bio-technology programme and there is very little chance that this will become a precedent for the region," he said. He said Washington had no plans to take bilateral action over the ban, adding it affected about only four percent of U.S. agricultural exports to Sri Lanka. The United States accounts for about half the 900,000 tonnes of wheat Sri Lanka imports each year, but U.S. wheat is not genetically modified. GM foods contain a gene from another organism, generally to make them resistant to herbicides or to produce their own toxins to kill pests. Proponents of the new technology say it contributes to higher crop yields and lower production costs, while critics fear long-term health and environmental consequences. Sri Lanka, which said last year that it would impose the ban, has yet to announce a mechanism or system to test food imports for genetic modifications. Sri Lankan officials said they wanted the ban in place to give them more time to find out if GM foods were dangerous.
END |