AGROFUELS: THE NEW FRONTIER FOR Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO?s)
DECLARATION TOWARDS THE INTERNATIONAL BIOFUEL CONFERENCE IN BRAZIL

RED POR UNA AMERICA LATINA LIBRE DE TRANSGENICOS (RALLT)
AND
AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY

São Paulo, November 2008

Twelve years after the first commercial release of GM crops, the
biotechnology industry has NOT delivered on its promise to "solve the
hunger problem in the world", its main argument to combat the fierce
opposition to the cultivation of GM crops.

Today, industry's argument is that GMOs are a key technology to help
combat global warming and climate change. This is why they now
promote so-called 'climate-ready' crops, GM crops that are supposedly
more resistent to droughts, and 'energy crops', designed and destined
for agrofuel production, not food production.

For the biotechnology industry, agrofuels represent a new opportunity
to access new markets, and enter countries that so far have
maintained themselves ?GMO-free?, arguing that these crops will not
enter the food chain. In this respect, President Lula affirmed
that: "...one part of biodiesel will be produced from soy - instead
of the population eating GM soy, we will produce biodiesel from
GMOs, cars will not refuse them, there is no problem whatsoever, and
people will eat the good soy."

In 2007, in the US 7 million hectares of GM maize was cultivated to
produce ethanol, and around 3,4 million hectares of RR soy for
agrodiesel; added to this, over 55 million hectares of GM oilseed
rape are grown for agrodiesel in the US and Canada. The production of
agrodiesel could represent up till 25% of total consumption of
vegetable oil in Argentina, Brazil, US and the EU in September 2008.
RR soy is covering extensive areas in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay,
and is expanding in Brazil.

Sugar cane, the main crop for ethanol production, is now being
genetically manipulated, and was recently termed by Monsanto "a
global commodity, next to soy, maize and cotton". This new status for
sugar cane was announed in the first week of November, when Monsanto
bought those Brazilian biotechnology companies most advanced in the
development of GM sugar cane and GM eucalyptus, for 290 million US$:
CanaVialis y Alellyx (earlier property of Votorantin, a Brazilian
industrial and cellulose conglomerate). With this aquisition, Brazil
consolidated itself as the world's sugar cane research center for
Monsanto and leader in experiments to produce ?second generation?
agrofuels. Taking note of Brazil's role in promoting its ethanol
model to other countries, this could transform Latin American,
Caribbean and African countries into zones of sugar cane and
eucalyptus monoculture plantations, to feed the global automobile
industry, and on the medium term also the emerging production chain
of 'bioplastics'.

We of RALLT and the African Center for Biosafety understand these
serious problems, and therefore reject the promotion of GM crops for
energy. The demand for massive production of biomass for energy,
presents a structural change in agriculture and the advance of the GM
threat for biodiversity and food sovereignty for the people.

We do not accept false solutions that are being proposed to the deep
problems of the planet and humanity: hunger and climate change are
issues that demand structural changes in our society and economy, to
begin with and urgent redirection of the failed agroindustrial, oil-
dependent model, and the unsustainable urbanisation. We do not accept
this model that is destroying the planet, the climate, biodiversity
and the entire natural heritage, and that is threathening the bases
for food sovereignty of our peoples.

Therefore,

+ We reject this new attempt to transform our countries into the
backyard for the biotechnology, oil and car industries.

+ We reclaim our sovereign right to decide for what and when to use
our territories.

+ We call on civil society organisations to initiate a process
towards a post-petroleum society, GMO-free, free of any technology
that increases dependency, and demand to recuperate a production at a
human scale.