Last Sunday, people turned up at polling booths across Switzerland in a referendum to determine whether genetically engineered (GE) crops and animals can be grown in the alpine nation during the next five years. Their verdict in each and every one of the three main languages was the same, nein, non, no, to GE.
Greenpeace action at Nestle headquarters in Switzerland, over repeated discovery of GE ingredients in the company's Asian products.
All 26 cantons (administrative regions) that make up Switzerland
votedunanimously against GE crops and animals being grown in the
country.The national vote was 55.7percent in favour of the ban but
reached a high of 75.8 percent in thefarming canton of Jura. The
farmers of Switzerland are concerned notonly with theuncertain
health effects of GE crops but also that GE contaminationwould ruin
their fast-growing organic farming sector.
The ban doesn't rid Switzerland of GE completely as GE field
trialswill still be allowed under the new moratorium and products
derivingfrom animals fed on GE crops can still be imported into the
country.Pending applications for GE food and animal feed could also
"Greenpeace hopes Switzerland's rejection of GE crops inspires
othersaround the world to stand up and say 'no' to genetic
engineering. Wealso encourage the Swiss public to continue to voice
its opposition tothis highly risky technology. Every route of
contamination must beclosed before people can rest assured their
plants and the food ontheir plates is not contaminated," said Geert
Ritsema, GreenpeaceInternational GE campaigner.
Switzerland is unique in the world in that it allows its
citizens adirect say in how they are governed via regular
referenda. With thelatest vote going against GE, the biotech
companies like Monsanto andSwitzerland's own Syngenta must be
hoping that the democratic urgedoesn't escape the land-locked
country and spread to other lands.
The people of Switzerland are fortunate that their government
takesinto account their views before deciding important issues like
therelease of GE crops into the environment. Across many parts of
theworld, public opinion is similarly in opposition. But
somegovernments, seduced by promises of riches, havebeen quick to
bypass or suppress public opposition and grant permissionfor
biotech companies to contaminate the environment with
With the US, Canada and Argentina trying to force GE food onto
the WTO, the Swiss vote shows that the pro-GE forces arelosing
their grip. The rights of people to determine what food
ispermissible from the farm gate to their dining table must be
respected.With the Swiss voting against GE crops, the biotech
industry must nowrealise what the opinion polls across the world
has been showing for along time, people don't want GE food.
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