GMOs and the Lankan dilemma

• Ban on, ban off

By Chanaka de Silva

The FAO/WHO based organization - Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which is an internationally (including by the WTO) accepted reference body for food safety matters, meanwhile, is still working on the issue. 

"What should a country like Sri Lanka do under the circumstances?" is the question everybody should be asking. The options left for Lanka are: 

*Let Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) come into the country, no matter what the consequences are; 

*Ban GMOs until the risks and benefits are fully discussed and assurances given; 

*Impose labelling requirements so that the consumers may have a choice. 

In the first option, the Sri Lankan Food Control Authority has the responsibility of looking into the food safety aspect of the GE foods on behalf of the consumers. There is no question that some safety measures have to be put in place. 

The second option is the ban. Although the word 'ban' is not used anywhere in the regulations restricting the import of GE foods, by implication it is a ban. 

De facto ban

Certain countries have cleverly imposed effective bans on GMOs without leaving much room for criticism and without the use of the word 'ban'. Perhaps this is where the Sri Lankan authorities have been a bit tactless. In India for instance, the system involves granting prior approval or issuing permits for the importation of food. While doing this, they make sure that no permit is issued for the importation of GMOs. Then again India imports very little food compared to Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka imports quite a large quantity of food items, the use of the word 'ban' would naturally be annoying to certain countries and powerful corporate bodies overseas who have invested billions of dollars in this technology. 

Meanwhile, Australia and some EU countries have gone for mandatory labelling. Mandatory labelling is seen as a greater deterrent than a provisional ban, for it has all the elements of killing the industry. The consumer choice is then very clear. Supermarkets are very sensitive and do not want to have too many GE products on the shelves. This is the result of consumer preference.

Complicated process 

In Australia and New Zealand, the ANZFA (Australia and New Zealand Food Authority) has developed specific standards for these foods that include a requirement for a pre-market safety assessment. GM foods are regulated by Standard A18 of the Australian Food Standards Code and became effective only in May1999 with certain transitional arrangements. Even advanced countries like Australia have been able to establish some procedures, and that too with transitional arrangements, just under one year ago. 

Even if started ten years ago, could Sri Lanka have harnessed such a lot of resources to establish any system resembling the Australian one, so that risk assessment, risk analysis, risk characterization, risk management and risk communication could be carried out in respect of GM foods? If we start such a programme now, how long will it take to establish the system and make it operational? 

No other alternative

It seems to me under the circumstances that the authorities have taken the only practical option available. The precautionary measure now adopted would enable the consumers to steer clear of GMOs at least until such time the CAC recommendations are available. How do we monitor this? We have to trust the certificates issued by the authorities of the exporting countries. How reliable would they be? It is generally believed that government authorities would never make a false certification. But if GE foods have been proved perfectly safe, one is inclined to ask the logical question - Why is the CAC wasting so much time, energy and money in formulating various methods of evaluation and so on?

Reports coming in from the USA indicate that millions of tons of rice produced by the questionable StarLink corn producers and approved by the FDA and USDA are being destroyed because the EPA refused to approve it. Is this not a funny situation? Two powerful authorities approve the product while another refuses permission! But then, that is how the American system works. The point is that the product could not find its way to the consumers even with so much lobbying. In the Sri Lankan situation,of course, the product would find its way to the consumer straight away, even if there were quite a few half-baked systems. So, to ape the systems of advanced countries or totally ignore the issue would be nothing less than a betrayal of the hapless consumers of Sri Lanka. 

While some of our own scientists (or those who pose off as such) sing of the promises that DNA technology may hold for the 10.8 billion mouths in 2050 there are other scientists, who have direct exposure to the technology, singing different tunes. George Monbiot said: "The greatest threat for food safety on earth is the concentration of the food chain in the hands of a few rich and powerful players.... This attempt to control the food chain, through developing genetically modified organisms, threatens to turn them into the hunger merchants of the third millennium." 

The Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights has stated: "....State obligations require active protection against other, more assertive or more aggressive subjects - more powerful economic interests-such as protection against fraud, against unethical behaviour in trade and contractual relations, against marketing and dumping hazardous or dangerous products." 

Ban on, ban off

By Kesara Ratnatunga

However, the authorities have decided to suspend the restriction until September 1. Gazette notification to this effect is pending. This is in keeping with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement to which Sri Lanka is a signatory. The agreement states that a 60-day period must be given before the banning of any trade item. The authorities were aware of the WTO agreement when the initial restriction was imposed in May, but "the safety of the consumer was our main priority," says S. Nagaiah, Chief Food and Drug Inspector. 

However it appears that certain powerful foreign parties, with a stake in the international GM food trade, have been lobbying for the 60-day grace period. This has led to the suspension of the restriction. During the short period in which the restriction was active, all food suppliers to the country readily produced the required certification, said Mr. Nagaiah, indicating that the restriction itself had little or no negative impact on Sri Lanka's international trade.

It is expected that even during the period of suspension, though certification of food consignments to the country is not required, suppliers will continue to submit certificates confirming that their products are GM free. Mr. Nagaiah added that they do not expect to have any problems during the coming 60-day period since the amount of food imported from GM food producing-countries, is very little. Sri Lanka currently does not have the technology to test food for genetically modified components, and hence is unable to check suspicious imports. However, the Food Advisory Sub-committee to Maintain and Regulate Genetically Modified Organisms-which comprises both scientists and administrators- is working towards introducing the necessary technology to the country. Says Mr. Nagaiah, "If all goes well, we hope to have the means to carry out testing within the coming few months." In the future, authorities will rely mainly on the certificates produced by the suppliers, but, if and when GMO testing technology is made available, will test suspect consignments coming in from known GM food producing countries. 

Meanwhile, the debate over Genetically Modified Organisms rages on worldwide. The provisional restriction on the import of genetically modified food was an act of caution intended to protect the Sri Lankan consumer. Authorities stress that the suspension is necessary in order to honour commercial obligations, and is not expected to be a cause for serious concern for the Sri Lankan consumer. 

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