Press Release

Canada Opposes a Global Moratorium on Genetically Engineered Trees and Contributes to Delay in Action at UN

Bonn,
Germany, Friday May 30 2008 - Today in Bonn Germany, the Canadian
Government's opposition to a bid by African countries to establish a
global moratorium on genetically engineered (GE) trees contributed to a
devastating lack of action at the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity.

Canadian groups represented at the UN meeting that ends today
worked closely with other groups and Indigenous peoples' organizations
from around the world to support the African continent's proposal to
suspend any releases of GE trees. The prolonged fight over GE trees was
part of an extremely controversial meeting that also debated the
impacts of biofuel production on biodiversity.

"Canada was largely a silent accomplice because Brazil and Colombia
took the lead to stop the moratorium," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, present at the meetings,
"Canada also felt the pressure of Canadians who wrote and called the
Minister of the Environment."

"A moratorium at the UN level would have been the most effective
way to protect global forests from transboundary contamination from
genetically engineered trees," said Sharratt, "Governments have a
responsibility under this international environmental agreement to make
sure that their actions do not cause damage to the environment of other
states."

However, while governments did not take collective international
action to stop GE tree releases at this meeting, they have recognized
that national moratoria are reasonable actions to deal with the risks
of GE trees.

47 Canadian groups signed a letter to the Minister of the
Environment, John Baird, asking Canada to support a global moratorium.
Although both the Minister and the Prime Minister briefly attended the
meeting, they did not speak about GE trees. The Convention on
Biological Diversity has already recognized the specific and serious
risks of GE trees.

Despite the outcome at the UN meeting, concern about GE trees is
growing amongst governments, organizations and people's movements
around the world. The Women of La Via Campesina, the international
small farmer movement, announced that they will take up the campaign to
stop GE trees, and all groups present at the UN meeting re-pledged
their commitment to stop the release of genetically engineered trees.

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For more information: Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, cell in Germany 011 49 151 12272774, coordinator@cban.ca