BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL

Summary

That this House notes the forthcoming Biosafety Protocol negotiations in Montreal from 20th to 28th January; hopes that these negotiations will be more successful than the talks in Colombia which collapsed in February 1999; observes, however, that the 'Miami Group' of countries, including the United States of America, is still attempting to weaken the agreement; supports the concerns of the 'Like-Minded Group' of developing countries that unregulated trade in genetically modified organisms could pose serious environmental, health and socio-economic threats; notes that the Biosafety Protocol will be a multilateral environmental agreement under the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and not a trade liberalisation agreement; believes therefore that the Biosafety Protocol negotiations, not the World Trade Organisation, are the most appropriate forum in which to develop a regulatory system for international movements of all genetically modified organisms; welcomes the UK Government's commitments after the collapse of trade talks in Seattle to ensuring meaningful participation by the poorest countries in international negotiations; and therefore calls on the UK Government to support developing countries in Montreal and ensure that the Biosafety Protocol guarantees all countries the right to know what genetically modified organisms are being imported, and the right to refuse such imports on the grounds of environmental, health and/or social protection and precaution.

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Timeline

1. 18 January 2000

   Early Day Motion

   That this House notes the forthcoming Biosafety Protocol negotiations in Montreal from 20th to 28th January; hopes that these negotiations will be more successful than the talks in Colombia which collapsed in February 1999; observes, however, that the 'Miami Group' of countries, including the United States of America, is still attempting to weaken the agreement; supports the concerns of the 'Like-Minded Group' of developing countries that unregulated trade in genetically modified organisms could pose serious environmental, health and socio-economic threats; notes that the Biosafety Protocol will be a multilateral environmental agreement under the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and not a trade liberalisation agreement; believes therefore that the Biosafety Protocol negotiations, not the World Trade Organisation, are the most appropriate forum in which to develop a regulatory system for international movements of all genetically modified organisms; welcomes the UK Government's commitments after the collapse of trade talks in Seattle to ensuring meaningful participation by the poorest countries in international negotiations; and therefore calls on the UK Government to support developing countries in Montreal and ensure that the Biosafety Protocol guarantees all countries the right to know what genetically modified organisms are being imported, and the right to refuse such imports on the grounds of environmental, health and/or social protection and precaution.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Mr David Chaytor · Labour · Primary sponsor

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