Workshop participants.
Government is making moves to regulate the import and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Approximately 23 Customs and Excise Department, St Lucia Air & Sea Port Authority, Vet and Quarantine Unit officials were sensitised on those plans during a biosafety workshop held at the ICT Centre in Castries, this morning (Mar. 18), as part of the Ministry of Sustainable Development’s Biosafety Implementation Project.
Coordinator Jannel Gabriel said that the sensitisation commenced in 2012,and looks to regulate GMOs that are coming into St. Lucia or being produced here.
A biosafety law, she said, will soon be in place to ensure that steps are taken to monitor the use of materials that contains GMOs. The new legislation is currently in its final draft and could be presented to Cabinet soon.
Coordinator Jannel Gabriel
According to her, the biosafety law would ensure that GMOs are licensed before they are brought here for use. People wishing to bring GMOs into the island therefore, will not only have to apply for a license, but they will also have to state the conditions under which they are operating.
“So we are making sure that we protect human health, we safeguard our St Lucian people and our natural resources, including our plants, our animals and our environment,” Gabriel said.
The legislation was first drafted in 2007. Several reviews were done and inputs were made based on feedbacks, from the general public, Gabriel informed.
The legislation will now require the content of GMOs to be labeled. This will allow people to decide on whether they want to use it or not. She said this is in keeping with European standards; consequently, the government wants the same done in St Lucia.
“We are not saying that GMOs are good or bad. We know they have been created for a reason and there are benefits and we also realise that they are risks too and some people who have ethical concerns and social concerns, as it relates to the use of GMOs. So we want to regulate it so that we know what is coming in and what are the risks attached to some of the items,” she asserted.
Gabriel said for example in a case where someone approaches the ministry to plant a GMO, in an area that has high biodiversity and it’s a special concern for the ministry, then they would like to be able to point them to another area best suited for planting GMOs. This is mainly to mitigate the effects or risks that it could pose to the island natural resources or indigenous species.
As part of a wider plan, the ministry is also looking to build capacity in this area, through training and educational workshops. The coordinator explained that since border controls agents are the people that will be the first to come into contact with GMOs, the ministry thought it wise to host a workshop to educate them about biosafety and about government’s plan to regulate the use of GMOs.
“These are the persons on the front line and if things are coming into the country they would be the first person to know and so they are being given the skills, so that they can recognise GMOs and would know what they are dealing with and they know what their role is,” she added. These same officials will also be given powers to cease goods that are not compatible with the standards here.
Gabriel also urged that citizens get information about GMOs, so that they can be part of the decision-making process.
She noted that once the public understands what GMOs are they will be able to identify which ones are off limits and useful.
This is the second such workshop being held. The first saw officials from the Ministry of Sustainable Development being sensitised on GMOs.
The training will also be extended to other agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, extension officers and those working in the Fisheries Department.