In the middle is Europe, arguing for a precautionary approach and thorough safety systems. The United States has no status at these talks. It cannot speak, ironically because it did not sign the biodiversity convention to which this protocol is related. It is represented by powerful lobby groups of biotechnology company representatives, and by New Zealand. Yes, our Government in Cartagena is doing the dirty work of the United States, lining up in an extreme position that puts free trade for a few multinationals ahead of our health, our agriculture, and our environment, just as it did with the discussions on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.
Genetic engineering is the manipulation and the privatisation of life itself.
The risks are huge. Britain is reeling at the discovery that just 10 days of eating genetically modified potatoes left rats seriously deformed. Eighty.nine thousand packets of organic tortilla chips have been destroyed because they were contaminated by genetic material drifting from neighbouring fields of genetically engineered maize. No farmer will be safe next door to genetically engineered crops. New allergies and new viruses have been proved possible as a result of this technology.