News & Updates

Autoridad Ancestral del Pueblo Misak
NIT 817.000.162-9
Manasaren Kurry Manasren Katik Misak Misak Waramik

Dear Minister,

I am deeply concerned that Terminator technology (Genetic Use Restriction Technology or GURTS) is being actively developed and promoted by corporations and that the United Nations de facto moratorium on Terminator at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is not strong enough to stop this dangerous technology. I am writing to urge you to establish a national ban on Terminator technology, and to support an international ban on Terminator at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

A small group of organic farmers and ethical consumers have joined Ecologistas en Acción in a protest action against Terminator technology and GM crops, planting a symbolic vegetable garden in front of Monsanto office in Madrid.

By Verónica Villa

(We appologise, this article is currently only available in Spanish.)

Curitiba, Brazil, 22nd March 2006 -- After a week that has seen a worldwide mobilisation against Terminator technology, the issue of Suicide Seeds is about to hit the negotiating floor of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Curitiba, Brazil. Known to the CBD as GURTs (Genetic Use Restriction Technologies), Terminator crops are genetically modified to create sterile seeds at harvest so that farmers must buy new seed every season. Today the Ban Terminator Campaign, a global coalition of over 500 organisations, released new financial calculations indicating that Terminator seeds will impose a burden of billions of extra dollars in seed costs on some of the world's poorest nations.

A Via Campesina, organização internacional de movimentos sociais camponeses, com representantes em 80 países em todos os continentes, realizou na tarde desta terça-feira (22/3) uma entrevista coletiva para apresentar as posições da entidade em relação a biodiversidade e recursos genéticos, discutidos na COP-8 (VIII Conferência das Partes da Convenção Internacional da Diversidade Biológica), que acontece entre 23 a 30 de março, em Curitiba, no Paraná.

Leia abaixo o documento oficial da Via Campesina, divulgado hoje na coletiva, que traz as posições da organização sobre os temas em debate até o final do mês, com destaque para as sementes Terminator, que não geram novas sementes e impedem a perpertuação da agricultura camponesa.

Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Network
21 March 2006, Curitiba, Brazil

GURTs is bad for your diet

On the occasion of the Eighth Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity now going on in Curitiba, Brazil, we declare that Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs) particularly Terminator technology is a threat to biodiversity and nutrition.

About half a million from Southern states of India have urged the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to protect country's agro biodiversity against the new and serious threat from the Terminator seeds technology. The Government of India has a ban on Terminator and the farmers are urging the government to remain strong in defending this ban.

Six-year Global Moratorium Under Threat at UN Meetings.

OTTAWA March 20, 2006. As a critical meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) begins today in Curitiba, Brazil, thousands of Canadians and hundreds of organizations across the country are calling on Environment Minister Rona Ambrose to defend a moratorium on Terminator seed technology.

A European Union plenary decision has rejected proposals that undermine the global moratorium on the field-testing of Terminator Technology.

The E.U. resolution clearly states that: "[the decision] taken by COP5 in 2000, lays down a moratorium on the field-testing and marketing of V-GURT technology" and goes on to urge E.U. member states to "reject any proposals to undermine the moratorium on the field-testing and marketing of so-called terminator technologies set by CBD Decision V/5 through a 'case-by-case' assessment or approval of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies".

The final vote was a massive 419-1-5 in favour for a very strong mandate for the COP8 meeting in Brazil.