Open letter to the institutions of New Caledonia to begin GMO labeling
For a regulation of GMOs in New Caledonia - NOW !
IF YOU ARE AN NGO, AN ASSOCIATION OR A COLLECTIVE:
support our campaign by signing this open letter thanks to the form at the bottom of the page.
IF YOU ARE A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL:
support our campaign
by signing the letter thanks to the petition website HERE.
Ladies and Gentlemen the elected representatives,
Through this open letter, we wish to call on the institutions of New Caledonia to stop legislative inaction in
term of Genetically Modified Organisms policy.
Reading the undermentioned timeline you will appreciate the significant steps that have been made during 2013 and 2014 in this field.
It is clear, however, that since February 2014, the regulation has not evolved: no GMO labeling, no ban of GMOs for animal feed and above all no strong policy
position of New Caledonia to forbid to commit to this type of technology (or give the consumer the opportunity to choose consume or not transgenic products).
We wish to bring to your attention two key elements:
- A growing number of countries in the world (over 60 to date) has a regulation on the labeling of GMOs in human food. This labeling is imposed in France and throughout Europe since 27th January 1997 and in Australia and New Zealand since 2001. The issue of the traceability of GMOs is not an obstacle to the establishment of a regulation.
- A ban on transgenic crops in New Caledonia would assert the will of the territory to move towards agricultural quality channels to meet growing demand for healthy local products and GMO-free from caledonian consummers (across island territory GM / non-GM coexistence is impossible), and a better agricultural self-sufficiency and food sovereignty.
Facing the continued delay in the adoption of a such regulation, we ask:
- the adoption of a text on mandatory labeling of GMOs for human consumption later this year in 2016,
- we ask for the implementation of the regulatory text on GMOs which was developed as part of the work of the Consultative Committee of the Environment, approved in 2013, dedicated exclusively to this issue (including agricultural GMOs animal feed and human food, including catering).
STOP OGM Pacifique, supported by these signatories, is available to help the Government, the Congress and the Provinces for the concrete implementation of this regulation.
SIGNATORIES (8th of april):
Fédération Internationale des Mouvements de l'Agriculture Biologique (IFOAM-Organics International)
GM Free Alliance Australia/New Zealand, Auckland GE-Free Coalition, MADGE Australia, Gene Ethics, FoodWatch (Australie)
Vigilance OGM (Québec), StopOGM (Suisse)
OGM Dangers, Greenpeace France, Consommateurs pas
cobayes, Nature&Progrès Rhône-Loire-Ain, Réseau Semences Paysannes, Mouvement de
l'Agriculture Bio-Dynamique, Fédération Nature et Progrès, Amis de la Terre
Corail Vivant Terre des Hommes, Calédoclean, Mocamana l'esprit Nature, Ligue contre le Cancer Nouvelle-Calédonie, Yagona Koneksen Sunset, SOS Mangroves NC, Biocalédonia, ALEA NC, Coordilyne, Dumbéa Rivière Vivante
TIMELINE
October 2012:
The Advisory Committee for the Environment of New Caledonia makes a vow concerning the implementation of regulations on GMOs, including:
1. GMO seed ban on use in agriculture and field experiments
2. the obligation to feed industries including aquaculture using non-GM raw materials
3. the mandatory labeling for foods containing GMOs ingredients
4. the establishment of a system of controls and penalties for breach of the regulations.
October 2013: Following this opinion, a working group composed of members of the local institutions, research
institutes and representatives of civil society helped to draft a regulatory text adapted to the territory, which was approved unanimously by the Committee in October 2014.
In February 2014, the Government:
- incorporated a decree (2014-333 / GNC on conditions for importing products posing sanitary risks) of provisions to prohibit the importation of GM seeds for fruits
and cereals.
- voted a draft decision on the labeling of food products that included the labeling of products containing GMOs.
This draft decision submitted to Congress before the provincial elections in 2014 was not discussed by Congress and is no longer an item in the list of texts to study and vote.
December 2014: STOP OGM Pacifique handed over a petition to the President of the Government and the President
of Congress for labeling of GMOs in New Caledonia that would help avoid, among other things, the importation of Australian GM wheat. The association collected over 12 000 signatures during this
campaign: if our demands were heard, any concrete decision was taken by the institutions as a response.
Since February 2014: No further progress on this issue.
Regarding the products based on glyphosate, including the “Roundup” (trademark of Monsanto company, world leader in genetically modified crops and
seeds):
March 2015: The World Health Organization classified Glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) among other chemical pesticides. STOP OGM
Pacifique launches a petition to ban these kinds of products in New Caledonia, and asks that glyphosate to be banned for non-professional use.
November 2015: The glyphosate petition has collected more than 8 000 signatures. It was presented to the President of Congress. Despite our
repeated requests, members of the government (Chairman and member in charge of agriculture, Vice-President and member of the Government in charge of health) have refused to receive us for an
official handing in of our petition.
This form is dedicated to NGOs, associations which what to co-sign the open letter
To sign the open letter if you are NOT an NGO or an association, go to the petition website HERE