Organic leaders call for global GM ban

26 November 1998

Organic leaders call for global GM ban

By FWi staff

THE worlds leading organic farming organisations have called for an immediate global ban on genetically modified (GM) crops.

Delegates from more than 60 countries said in a joint statement that genetic engineering should not be used in agriculture and food production.

Helen Browning, chairwoman of the UK-based Soil Association, said the move “highlighted the depth of mounting concern” about GM crops.

Farmers in developing countries, such as India, feared that genetic engineering could significantly increase rural debt, she said.

Ms Browning has just returned from the 12th Scientific Conference of the International Federation of organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) in Argentina.

Many IFOAM members see organic farming as the only way to remain independent from multi-national companies who control the sale of GM seed, she said.