- Want Govt To Promote Agroecology Instead Of GMO-driven Food System
By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
Stakeholders in the biosafety sector have emphasised on the need to protect the biosafety laws and regulations of Nigeria from the rabid interest of organisations advancing the GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) technology in the country’s food systems.
At a roundtable talk organised by
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), in Abuja, the experts spoke on intensifying efforts at promoting Biosafety in the country.
The participants averred that biosafety which entails protecting the ecosystem and human health from harmful incidents can be achievable through dependable biosafety laws and regulations which when strenghtened ensure the safety of biodiversity and secure food systems.
HOMEF’s Director, Nnimmo Bassey said modern agricultural biotechnology is a threat to Biosafety and it is promoted for two main reasons: “First is to create Genetically Modified (GM) crops like GM cotton, canola and sugarbeets that tolerate herbicides/weed killers which are produced by same companies that make the GM crops.
“Secondly, to manufacture crops that kill target pests, an example which is Bt Cotton, Maize and Cowpea). These crops produce their own insecticide thus can be called pesticides and are unsafe. There is also GMO 2.0 which is the next generation Genetic Engineering also known as Synthetic Biology or ‘extinction technology’. This technology is being used in different sectors namwlt agriculture, military, health and conservation”.
Mr Ifeanyi Nwankwere, a lawyer who is currently handling the court case against the approval for introduction of GM cotton and maize into Nigeria, explained the challenges of Biosafety in Nigeria.
According to him, the challenges are found in certain clauses in Nigeria’s Biosafety Act of 2015 which was amended in 2019. He pointed out that the Act gives room for regulatory capture which occurs when a special interest is prioritised over public interest, leading to a net loss for society.
“This is demonstrated by the presence of major promoters of biotechnology such as the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) on the board of the regulatory agency, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), created by the Act.
“Another deficiency in the Act is that it institutes a fault-based type of liability and redress in which a petitioner must prove that a defendant’s conduct was either negligent or intentional. This is against a Strict liability which is more consistent with the principle of precautionary measure as it allows imposition of liability on a party without a finding of fault (such as negligence),” Nwankwere stated.
The legal practitioner, speaking further explained that the Precautionary Principle states that, where there are threats of serious damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation. Thus, cost-effective measures such as halting promotion of GMOs should not be dependent on scientific proof.
He said, the Act is meant to implement provisions of international treaties like the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity on matters relating to GMOs. These treaties, according to him uphold the Precautionary Principle but “Nigerian courts are yet to take the Principle seriously”.
Lawyers at the roundtable agreed that threats posed by GMOs should be continuously challenged through litigations, with concerned experts in Biosafety and lawyers working side by side.
Chima Williams, Acting Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), urged stakeholders to query issues of Fairness, Equity and Justice in GMO conception, development and distribution processes. “The question that should be asked is: What fundamental rights are violated if the TV, immune disorders, birth defects; soil degradation; bio- and nutritional diversity loss; impoverishment of small holder farmers and general economic loss. He informed that a lot of experimentation with GM seeds is taking place in Kaduna State. It was also stated that GM beans has recently been approved for commercial release in Nigeria and is being distributed to farmers currently.”
Director of Bio-integrity and Natural Food Awareness Initiative and
panelist at the roundtable, Jackie Ikeotuonye said GM crops are different from natural seeds and food. She added that the Principle of Substantial Equivalence that GMO proponents claim is baseless.
Corroborating Jackie’s point, Bassey informed that “GMOs cannot even exist side by side natural crops as they (GMOs) have dominant traits that they can easily pass across to the natural plants.”
HOMEF’s Programmes Manager, Joyce Ebebeinwe, stated that rather than a GMO-driven food system, Agroecology which is the pillar of food sovereignty should be promoted.
“Agroecology encourages: diversification of farming systems, use of local and improved crop varieties and livestock, minimal use of chemicals, mixed cropping, crop rotation, biological pest control, and other practices that increase productivity, promotes climate resilience, biosafety and biodiversity.” she said.
