Zagreb, 13. December, 2003 - A giant inflatable tomato is on tour in Zagreb as part of an international campaign for awareness and public participation in the current trade dispute between the USA and EU over genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Zagreb, 13. December, 2003 - A giant inflatable tomato is on tour in Zagreb as part of an international campaign for awareness and public participation in the current trade dispute between the USA and EU over genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
In May 2003, the USA, Canada and Argentina filed a legal dispute with the WTO regarding EU restrictions on the import and cultivation of GM food and crops. If the WTO judges that the EU is violating trade agreements, the USA will be able to force Europe to approve more GMO foods and crops or face huge financial penalties.
The campaign, called "Bite back: WTO hands off our food!", appeals to citizens of Europe and the world to make their own legal submission to the WTO demanding their right to decide what they eat and to protect their environment.
The campaign involves over 200 organizations including consumers, environmentalists, farmers and trade unionists.
"The US Administration, lobbied by the likes of biotech giant Monsanto, uses the undemocratic and biased WTO to force-feed the world with genetically modified food. The public should have the right to decide what they eat. Decisions about our food should not be taken by the WTO or Monsanto. The WTO's decision will not only be important for EU countries but also for small countries like Croatia, which will be even more under threat and will not be able to provide healthy food, environmental protection or GM-free crops." explained Jagoda Munic, Green Action president.
This WTO dispute regarding the (im)possibility of choosing GM-free food in Europe and other countries also highlights other problematic issues surrounding the WTO, for example trade and drug production, the privatization of drinking water sources and trade in agricultural and food products. NGOs demand that these areas should be removed from the WTO's jurisdiction.
During the six-month "Bite back" campaign the giant tomato has been on tour through Brussels, Paris, Mont de Marsan, Toulouse, Madrid, Barcelona, Namur, Arthus, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Budapest, Nyiregyhaza, Zagreb, Vienna, Tbilisi, Limassol, Dnipropetrovsk and many cities in Germany.
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