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DAILY UPDATES FROM THE FINAL NEGOTIATIONS FOR A BIOSAFETY
PROTOCOL IN MONTREAL, 20-28 JANUARY 2000
23/01/00
Update from actions happening in different countries & from
the informal negotiations for a Biosafety Protocol
On Friday
21st January Greenpeace returned ten tons of genetically engineered
(GE) soya to the US embassy in Luxembourg,
demanding that the US stops exporting unwanted GE crops. This
action was timed to coincide with opening of the Biosafety
Protocol negotiations, where the US along with other grain
exporting countries like Canada is set to continue their hardline
approach opposing a strong protocol. 
Following
on from this on Saturday 22nd Greenpeace
Canada, together with the Council of Canadians, organised
a public forum on GE at the University of Quebec which was
very well attended. Although the outside temperature was minus
40 degrees about 700 people participated in a one hour demonstration
from the University to the UN conference centre in Montreal
where Biosafety Protocol negotiations are taking place. The
Canadian delegation at the conference was really embarrassed,
and none of them wanted to go out to meet their citizens.
 On
Sunday 23rd, Greenpeace
Denmark blocked the unloading of a shipment of GE animal
fodder in Aarhus. Despite the opposition of European consumers
to GE food, enormous amounts of GE crops are imported to Europe
for use in animal feed.
In December 1999 Greenpeace Denmark analysed the contents
of animal feed. GE soya was found in all samples, the quantity
of GE soya in two samples was over 50 per cent.
Denmark is the world's largest exporter of pork and annually
imports more than 700,000 tons of soya bean meal for use as
animal feed.
The informal
negotiations ended on Sunday night. 36 Environment Ministers
from around the world have already announced that they intend
to attend the Extraordinary Conference of Parties and are
expected to arrive on Wednesday 26th. So far the Canadian
Environment Minister has not indicated that he will attend.
All groups
expressed their committment to agree to a Protocol by the
end of this week. However, the Miami Group (US, Canada, Australia,
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) said that everybody has to compromise
and that trade-offs have to be made. The official negotiations
will start on Monday, 24th January. The Head of the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will participate in the
opening.
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