The government urged to be "consistent in GMO policy"

<! –

->

Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) has called on the government to be consistent in its policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

FSG, a food security activist, also urged the government be vigilant against misleading media messages about the alleged benefits of introducing GMOs into the Ghanaian food chain.

"We find it interesting that the Minister [for Food and Agriculture] has turned eighty degrees on its position regarding GMOs, but we would like the government to speak with one voice in the same way as the minister has done recently, "said the FSG in a statement released March 31.

the Daily chart newspaper last week reported the minister Dr. Akoto Owusu Afriyie as describing GMOs as a controversial topic against which a part of Ghanaian society was seriously opposed.

He told a meeting of 19 African countries responsible for the World Food Program (WFP) in Accra that "in fact we do not need it" because Ghana has enough improved seeds.

Related: Minister of Agriculture says Ghana does not need unfortunate GMOs – Scientist

FSG says the comments from the minister "Is a sign that the government is feeling the repression of the Ghanaian public. This is happening at a time when the GM lobby is stepping up its campaigning activities for GMOs involving local scientists, media personnel and farmers.

"The Ghanaian public has clearly seen through such efforts and is asking the right questions. Dr. Africa can not get out of the GMO debacle without clarifying the official position of its own ministry in this matter, "the food security activists said in the statement.

Read the full statement below.

Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) urgently calls on the government to adopt a coherent policy on the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into our food chain and to refrain from any misleading aggression in the media designed to project dust into the eyes of the public.

We find it interesting that the minister takes a 80-degree position on GMOs, but we would like the government to speak with one voice in the same way as it did recently: describing GMOs as a "subject" controversial". he told WFP country officials, "a part of Ghanaian society was against it and we do not actually need it," saying the country has enough improved seeds. "

We think this is a sign that the government is feeling the backlash from the Ghanaian public. This is happening at a time when the GM lobby is stepping up its campaigning activities for GMOs involving local scientists, media personnel and farmers. The Ghanaian public has clearly seen through such efforts and is asking the right questions. Dr. Afriyie can not escape the GMO debacle without clarifying the official position of his own ministry in this area.

We therefore note that after vigorously defending GMOs until obtaining the acronym "Minister of GMOs", the Minister of Food and Agriculture Mr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, was forced to insist again for a change of position. Although the FSG welcomes the Minister's new appreciation of the reality of progressive development, it must be clear to all that this is not enough.

The reactions of our members, as well as our colleagues in the civil society and the agro-ecological defense movements, see it as an overwhelming majority, a step in the right direction by a political decision-maker key. However, most of them quickly add that there is still no clarity as to the position of the Government of Ghana on the introduction of GMOs into our food chain, despite the fact that scientific uncertainties persist and that consumers know undermined by the lack of laws even requiring the labeling of so-called "approved" GMOs!

What worries us the most here is the fact that Mr. Afriyie's position seems to be an attempt to disguise the government's official policy, possibly in view of the 2020 elections. Clearly aware of the unpopularity of the GMO lobby projects, the government has obviously been very shy in promoting its official GMO policy. The only rare opportunity that we met with an official from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, publicly declaring the government's position, was during a "question and answer session on genetically engineered foods. Modified and its Consequences for Ghana ", at the Obed Asamoah Conference Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, Mr. Solomon Gyan-Ansah, Deputy Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Agriculture, said the government's position was to introduce GMOs into our food chain.

As a result, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, urged the National Biosafety Authority (ANB) board to raise awareness the public on biotech and biosecurity issues. He added that it would help the public understand and embrace biotechnology as a better alternative to socio-economic progress.

"Biotechnology is so important and we can not grow without it," adding that countries like China adopted biotechnology in 1986 and conducted extensive research on various biotechnology systems, which allowed for its rapid development. on a global scale.

The government can not talk about GMOs on both sides of the mouth, where one side says "Yes" and the other side says "No". We find it dishonest to procrastinate on an issue as serious as this one, for electoral reasons. GMOs are designed to tolerate high doses of dangerous chemicals such as glyphosate, which is now a known carcinogen.

We live in a world of dangerous chemicals and fraudulent companies. The government must therefore be as proactive as Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, which has announced its intention to suspend the import permit for the country. Roundup of Monsanto in the country. Should not our own government do it for the safety of Ghanaians? A third trial of Monsanto Roundup is underway. The first two were all opposed to Monsanto, their Roundup being cited as the agent responsible for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We must be grateful for the legal precedents created by the recent findings of the San Francisco courts and the payment of damages and indemnities to Dewayne Johnson, a former 46-year-old ground guard, and to Edwin Hardeman, 70, who have Roundup for control weeds and poisoned oak on his property for 26 years.

"We were finally able to show the jury Monsanto's secret internal documents proving that Monsanto had known for decades that … Roundup could cause cancer," said Johnson's lawyer, Brent Wisner, in a statement. a statement. The verdict, he added, sent "a message to Monsanto to tell him that his years of deception about Roundup are over and that he should put consumer safety ahead of profits." The game is almost over. Monsanto is facing more than 4,000 similar cases across the United States. We call on the government to give priority to Ghana and to protect the health and the environment of Ghanaians.

We reiterate our call to the government for an indefinite moratorium on the introduction of genetically modified food and feed into our food chain. At the same time, we call at a minimum the labeling of all foods containing GMOs in order to give consumers the right to know the content of the products they buy with their often scarce resources! https://t.co/M9drgNv9r6

We also call for strict liability for possible damage that the consumption and cultivation of GMOs can have on Ghanaians and on the environment. We believe that the wording of Article 6 of the "Tanzania Environmental Management (Biosafety) Regulations 2009":
"All approvals for the introduction of GMOs or their products are subject to the condition that the applicant is strictly liable for damages caused to any person or entity."

According to the FDA, "Mandatory labeling regulations require that food products derived wholly or partially from GMOs be labeled according to the guidelines; non-compliance with the regulations results in a sanction that is generally very burdensome. By contrast, voluntary regulations provide guidelines for the labeling of foods derived from GMOs, the labeling decision is made by the manufacturer or distributor of the food product. "Voluntary labeling is therefore out of the question and not in the food industry. The interest of public security in Ghana.

These are issues that require urgent attention from the government as Ghanaians take their food personally and very seriously.