Across three continents there were positive signs in 1999 that the tide is turning on genetically engineered crops
As well as having one of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet, Mexico is the birthplace of maize, one of the world's staple crops. Maize has been grown here for 7000 years and it is the origin of all the earth's maize species. The possibility of these species being contaminated by genetically engineered "supercrops" is one of Greenpeace's key concerns.
In July, Greenpeace campaigned for the Mexican government to act on imports of GE grain. We had shown two months previously that maize was being imported which was contaminated with genetically engineered varieties developed to kill insects by expressing a bacterial toxin (Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt).
Because of the risk to the wide diversity of maize in the country, Mexico has banned the planting of GE varieties. But it had failed to act against imports of five million tons of GE-contaminated maize imported annually from the US.
US intransigence
The global implications of GE were already being discussed in South America. In February, international talks in Colombia involving 135 countries broke down because of US intransigence over the Biosafety Protocol. Backed by other grain-exporting nations such as Argentina, Australia and Chile, the US had tried to insist on excluding more than 90 per cent of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) currently traded from the regulation being developed. But the US failed to get its way and the Protocol was finalised in Montreal in January 2000 despite the continued resistance of the US-led minority group.
In June, Greenpeace won a case in the Federal Court of Brazil banning any commercial release of Monsanto's genetically engineered soybeans until a full environmental impact assessment has been conducted
Oppposition grows
In Europe, supermarkets and then food manufacturers joined the tide of opposition to GM crops. In March a seven-strong alliance of leading supermarket chains adopted a GE-free policy for all their own products. In April Unilever UK went GE-free. Its Swiss-based rival, Nestle, quickly joined in for its UK business.
In May the EU Environment Council, consisting of ministers from each member state, agreed not to allow any new GMOs in Europe until strict environmental standards were agreed, probably not until 2002
Just before the end of the year, the UK's leading supermarket chain, Tesco, and France's number one supermarket Carrefour started to remove GMOs from animal feed - by far the biggest destination for GM soya. Greenpeace also took the campaign to Brest, in France, where activists blocked the gates at a soybean mill belonging to Cargill, the world's largest grain trader. The company has been responsible for exporting millions of tons of GE products into Europe
There were also signs that the issue is moving in North America. In July the baby food company Gerber said it would no longer use GE ingredients and had decided to go organic, after Greenpeace had exposed GE presence in a variety of baby foods. This development was particularly interesting as Gerber is a subsidiary of the GMO selling life sciences group Novartis
Just after the end of the year a court in Washington agreed that the Environmental Protection Agency must respond to charges from Greenpeace and other organisations that it had broken the rules in registering Bt crops.
The case had been brought in February, and was strengthened during the year by scientists' warnings that Bt maize could threaten as many as a hundred species of butterflies and moths.
Bt crops - about a third of all GE crops around the world - contain genes for the production of a natural bacterial insecticide. But this insect-icide is used in emergencies by organic farmers, who are concerned that its widespread use on GE crops will quickly lead to resistance and make their sprays ineffective. Scientific studies have also revealed that Bt crops not only kill their target insects, the European corn borer, but also other beneficial insects, and may pose a serious threat to butterflies such as the American Monarch.
Farmers, grain companies, food manufacturers and retailers are all increasingly seeing that the GE route is commercial folly. Due to consumer resistance to GE, US exports to Europe of GE crops are down and the loss to US farmers is estimated at $200 million. As a result the planting of Bt corn and cotton in the US is expected to drop significantly in 2000.
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Greenpeace campaigns against genetically engineered crops in Mexico, China and the UK
Austria is now 100% GE free.
In Europe, over two-thirds of major retailers and supermarket chains are GE free in their own brands. In the UK all are GE free. Japan is set to follow.
Some supermarkets and food producers have introduced GMO free animal feed lines.
Approval of Monsanto soybeans in Brazil was delayed by a court injunction.
All major commodity dealers now offer GE free soybeans and maize.
To ensure progress made in Europe is reflected in other parts of the world, such as South America, Japan and the United States.
To mobilise US and Canadian consumers to resist GMOs in their food.
To get farmers in three major GMOs producer countries - the US, Canada and Argentina - to remain GE free or change back to conventional crops.
To make organic agriculture the main mode of production in the world.