A Biosafety Proclamation amendment, which seeks to lessen the restriction on the contentious issue of importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), was tabled before parliament on Thursday, angering environmentalists.
The bio-safety proclamation, which was ratified in 2009, has strict provisions on importing GMOs. It requires an applicant to obtain an Advance Informed Agreement, a written consent granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, or a special permit to import GMOs. The existing law also requires “the competent national authority of the country of export to the effect that the competent national authority takes full responsibility.”
The proposed draft amendment takes away the full responsibility from a government office of the GMO’s country of origin and gives it to the exporter.
There has been a strong push, particularly from researchers in the field of bio-technology, for a more lax legislation whereas environmentalists, wary of the risks associated with GMOs, wanted a stricter law.
“Some provisions contained in the existing law were an obstacle to undertake works in bio-technology and do not meet the current developmental needs of the country,” states a document attached to the draft amendment.
In a bid to boost to the manufacturing sector particularly the textile sector, the government has been considering the option of using genetically modified crops like BT cotton. The option was considered as an alternative to alleviate shortages of raw material which has plagued the textile sector.
However, local environmental activists found the proposed amendment as “worrisome”. A bio-engineering expert and activist, who opted to remain anonymous, believes that the precautionary legislation is being used to promote modern bio-technology.
“We have no issues with modern bio-technology but it is very dangerous to use modern bio-technology as a cover to promote genetic engineering,” he told The Reporter. Despite the well documented risks associated with GMOs the draft amendment is proposing to render inapplicable the existing law enacted with the aim of averting the dangers associated, he added.
Four leaked Cables of US Embassy Addis Ababa of August to December 2009 and Feb 2010 reveal strong opposition to the Ethiopian Biosafety Proclamation and a persistent lobby to scrap it. The Cables claimed that move was driven by US corporate interests.
The draft bill, which was submitted to Parliament’s Forest and Natural Resource Standing Committee, contains amendments to six provisions to the existing legislation. The bill was drafted by the Ministry of Environmental & Forest (MoEF), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ethiopian Institution of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).
[TheReporterEthiopia]