Lúcia Nórcio
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Curitiba - Brazil will uphold the use of the expression "it contains" for shipments of live, genetically modified organisms, including information referring to the process of production, transportation, and storage, when they are exported to other countries. This position, announced, yesterday (14), at the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Biosecurity Protocol (MOP3), represents a victory, most of all, for Brazilian society, according to the minister of the Environment, Marina Silva.

In the minister's opinion, taking into account the biosecurity of living, genetically modified organisms is a challenge for every country in the world, especially ones as diversified as Brazil. Brazil is among the 17 countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world. Between 15 and 20% of the planet's biodiversity is found in Brazil.

Silva explained that a four-year transition period has been established to implement the system that identifies the presence of genetically modified live organisms in products and grains that will be exported. "Just as soon as conditions are implanted, the separation will be effectuated. This is a matter of procedure. We're talking about a model of coexistence, giving us time to work out the separation measures to do the identification." The minister asserted that this interval is necessary for ports and transportation systems to be adjusted to the new rules.

The minister went on to say that important grain-producing countries like Brazil will not be hurt, because the Protocol's signatory nations will also require other grain producers to identify their products. According to Silva, one of the great conquests of the Brazilian proposal will be to oblige countries like the United States, that didn't endorse the Protocol, to identify the contents of their shipments when they export products to countries that signed the document.

Translation: David Silberstein