Irene Lôbo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - On Saturday (18), the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations ("Itamaraty") issued a note stating that the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Biosecurity Protocol (MOP-3) represents a landmark in that an agreement was finally reached on rules for the documentation and identification of living modified organisms (LMOs), also denominated transgenics.

According to the note, Brazil was responsible for the introduction of an original proposal to reconcile the differences of opinion existing among the participants. For the next four years shipments will bear the label "contains LMOs," following by a list of the organisms present in the cargo. If such an identification is not possible, the label "might contain LMOs" will be attached, followed by a list of the organisms that might be present in the shipment and other information. After 2010 only the "contains LMOs" wording will be used.

"As co-president, together with Switzerland, of the Contact Group that dealt with this matter at the MOP-3, Brazil played a major role in the negotiations. Moreover, Brazil authored the document that served as a basis for the weeklong discussions on Article 18.2 (a) and led the way to the meeting's last minute agreement," the note observes.

During the transition phase, the signatory countries will adopt the criteria proposed by Brazil. At the MOP-5 in 2010, this experience will be reviewed and evaluated to prepare for a definitive solution at the MOP-6 in 2012, making mandatory the use of the expression "contains LMOs" in papers accompanying all shipments containing LMOs. This will be the only system in effect after 2012.

"This represents an important victory, most of all for the developing countries. The new rules reinforce the implementation of the country's extant legislation, as well as favoring the coexistence of agricultural systems that produce LMOs, non-LMOs, and organic crops," the Itamaraty affirms.

At the MOP-3, according to the ministry, decisions were also taken on other significant issues covered in the Protocol, such as risk analysis and management, training, and the mechanism for disseminating information - the Biosafety Clearing House. The meeting was attended by more than three thousand people, including delegates from around 100 countries and representatives of international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), interest groups, the academic community, and the international media. The Brazilian delegation comprised 130 members from various government agencies and civil society.

Translation: David Silberstein