Scientists oppose GMO biocolonization of Costa Rica

Personalities from the eco-scientific and organic agriculture environments are speaking up against the letter from the American Embassy, in which the Costa Rican government is put under pressure to adopt transgenic seeds.
 

Vandana Shiva has joined the International Alliance for monitoring transgenic bio-colonialism in centers of origin of biodiversity and countries of mega-bio-diversity, as a direct result of the letter from the US Ambassador to Costa Rica.
 

Personalities from the USA, Russia and Cuba, amongst others, signed a letter in which they disagree with the contents of the letter sent by the US Embassy, pressuring the government of Costa Rica to favour the use of GMO crops (Letter of May 26, 2015 signed by the US Ambassador to Costa Rica).
 

Over 30 personalities, who met from June 7 to June 9, 2015 at Finca Luna Nueva in San Ramon (a GMO-free territory) to attend the ‘Regeneration International Conference’, signed a disagreement letter within a meeting on regenerative agriculture.
 

Amongst the signatories are:

• The president of IFOAM, Andrè Leu, Australia

• Ph.D. Vandana Shiva, Navdanya, India Project

• Ph.D. Fernando Funes, Vice-president of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA) Cuba

• Ph.D. John Fagan, Director of Earth Open Source.

• Ph.D. Hans R. Herren, Millenium Institue. USA

• Scientist Ph.D. Michael Hansen, Consumers Union of USA

• Mr. Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the Organic Consumers Association, USA

• Dr. Mercede Lopez Martinez, Via Organica, Mexico.

• Mr. Thomas M. Newmark, Founder of Carbon Underground, USA

• Ph.D. Charito P. Medina, MASIPAG, Phillippines.

• Ph.D. Konstantin Kramnerenko, Russia

• Ph.D. Elena Sharoykina, director of the National Association for Genetic Security of Russia.

• Ms. Nadezhda Novoselova, Factor GMO, Russia.

• Mr. Will Allen, Cedar Circle Farm Education Center, USA.

• Ms. Patricia flores, IFOAM Latin America and Caribbean.

• Mr. Benedikt Haerlin, Save our Seeds, Berlin, Germany.

• Ph.D. and Professor Emeritus, Tim Lasalle, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, California, USA.

• Professor Raymond Auerbach, Metropolitan Nelson Mandela University, South Africa.

• Mr. Dominique Guillet, Kokopelli Seed Foundation, France.
 

The letter clearly states:
 

“A response by the international ecological scientific community to the letter (of 26th May 2015) from the US government to the government of Costa Rica attempting to block the democratic process on decisions related to planting GMOs in Costa Rica.
 

Considering that Costa Rica is a country where 74 local governments have decided to declare themselves GMO free (91% of the national territory). The declaration by the 74 territories is evidence of a clear democratic will of its inhabitants to promote agricultural development models where genetic engineering has no place.
 

Considering that Costa Rica is a country rich in biodiversity, where no conclusive studies exist to determine the impact of transgenics on its agro-biodiversity heritage, these must be sheltered and protected, not only from genetic erosion but also from genetic contamination.
 

Considering that the current Minister of Agriculture of the government of Costa Rica declares that the ministry of Agriculture will not permit the release of transgenic organisms, since Article 132 of the phyto-sanitary laws has been recognized as unconstitutional, as pointed out by the constitutional court (Resolution Number 15017-2014).
 

The undersigned declare that:
 

We will be observing and accompanying the people of Costa Rica in their struggle to defend their cultural, biological and agricultural heritage against the GM contamination and the bio-colonization of corporations.
 

The struggle against GMOs is not a fight against a technology. Rather, it is a struggle against the corporate transgenic Bio-colonialism that damages the roots of the agricultural and food culture of peoples and local communities.
 

The letter from the US Ambassador to pressurize the Government of Costa Rica to plant GMOs from transnational companies, is an offence against the sovereignty of the people of Costa Rica, undermining the food sovereignty of its people.