Monsanto`s European/African Headquarters in Brussels were occupied by activists who want the world`s leading producer of genetically modified crops held responsible for spreading genetic contamination<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=252666">Greenpeace press release</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/deutschland/?page=/deutschland/news/gentechnik/monsanto--fuer-profit-gegen-verbraucher">"Monsanto führt Krieg gegen Verbraucher und Bauern"</a>

Contamination from GM crops threatens the drive to increase organic food production, Michael Meacher, the environment minister, conceded yesterday. "The coexistence of organic and GM crops is a very real problem," he said.</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,959639,00.html">The Guardian</a>

Abstracts of presentations and conclusions from scientists and industry representatives at a "round table" event with 150 selected stakeholders in Brussels, April 24th (see below) have now been published by the Commission for Research.</p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/biosociety/news_events/news_programme_en.htm">list of abstracts and presentations</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/biosociety/index_en.htm">DG Research "Biosociety" page</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/2003_04_01_news_archiv.html#200198029">SOS report about the round table</a>

Certified organic farmers have reported the first direct financial and operational impacts associated with the threat of contamination by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in a nationwide survey conducted by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). The figures refer to the 2001 market situation.</p><p><a href="http://www.ofrf.org/press/Releases/PR.051403.GMOSurvey.html">OFRF release and homepage</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/ofrf_survey_us_contamination.pdf">OFRF release and key survey results in pdf</a>Der wachsende Einsatz gentechnisch-veränderter Pflanzen in der Landwirtschaft wird zu einer ernsten Bedrohung für den öko-Landbau. Das belegt eine aktuelle, landesweite US-Studie ('4th National Organic Farmers Survey') der Organic Farming Research Foundation. Darin bewertet ein Drittel der befragten Biobauern die mögliche Gefahr einer Verunreinigung ihrer Produkte durch gentechnisch-veränderter Organismen (GVO) als 'hoch' bis `sehr hoch'.</p><p><a href="http://news.agrar.de/archiv/20030520-00001/">@grar.de Aktuell - 'Grüne Gentechnik' bedroht öko-Landbau</a>

Voting on the draft directive on environmental liability the European Parliament today voted for specific liability legislation regarding GMOs, including civil liability on contamination of non-GMO production.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/ep_liability_14_05_03.pdf">short report and adopted amendments</a>

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman today announced that the US together with Argentina, Canada and Egypt will file a WTO case against the EU over it`s "illegal five-year moratorium" on GMO approvals. The EU regrets the US decision as "misguided and unneccesary". It also rebuffed the US claims that GMOs were necessary to feed the world and points to the fact that the US is opposing international regulations on GMO trade under the Biosaftey Protocol. The case does not seem to have any practical implications as the EU moratorium in it`s present form is not intended to last longer than a WTO dispute settlement process usually takes until decided. However the decision to take the case to the WTO may now force the World Trade Organisation to arbitrate on the globally contentious question of national sovereignty regarding the use of GMOs and will take the bilateral trade dispute on a global level.Greenpeace in a first statement commented: "The US administration is effectively declaring a war on consumers. But it is a war the US will not win. Greenpeace strongly condemns this blatant attempt to bully the European Union and is confident that this will only serve to reinforce consumer rejection of GMOs. All countries are entitled to refuse GMOs and to demand mandatory labelling of GMO products."<a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/us_wto_13_05_03.pdf">USDA press release May 13th</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/eu_wto_13_05_03.pdf">EU Commissions press release and background May 13th</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/us_wto_consultation_request.pdf">Official US request to WTO with complete list of pending EU approvals</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/nyt_wto_14_05_03.pdf">New York Times report</a></p><p><a href="http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1051389993328&p=1012571727092">Financial Times report</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/wto_editorials.pdf">Editorials in Wall Financial Times, Guardian, Wall Street Journal</a></p><p><a href="http://www.biosicherheit.de/aktuell/204.doku.html">Deutsch: Ausführlicher Hintergrundbericht zur WTO-Klage der USA bei "bioSicherheit"</a></p><p><strong>WTO rules soon direct law in the EU?</strong></p><p>The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, Siegbert Alber, has suggested that WTO law is directly applicable where the incompatibility of a Community measure with WTO law has been found in WTO Dispute Settlement Bodies recommendations or decisions and the Community has failed to implement the recommendations or decisions within the reasonable period of time allowed by the WTO. He produced this ground breaking opinion in a damage claim of meat producers, unable to import beef raised with hormones from the US. The US hormone-beef had been ruled to be save by the WTO in 1998, yet the EU still refuses to lift its ban on such products. If Albers opinion was adopted by the Court, WTO rules could directly superseed EU legislation in the future.</p><p><a href="http://www.curia.eu.int/en/actu/communiques/cp03/aff/cp0339en.htm">European Court of Justice press release</a>

For the first time in 73 cases Monsanto has so far brought forward against farmers who saved their genetically modified cotton seeds a Tennessee farmer will go to prison for hiding evidence and breaching patent law.</p><p><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/10B20CFF4D9FA42386256D2000117772?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2CMonsanto&headline=Farmer who lied in dispute with Monsanto will go to prison ">STLtoday - news</a>

A one year moratorium on growing genetically modified canola (oilseed rape) has been issued by the government in Victoria.</p><p><a href="http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=337">Press release of the government</a>

The Albanian Parliaments Committee on Agriculture proposes to ban the use of GMOs during the next five years and has requested the Environment Ministry to prepare the legal framework for such a moratorium.For more information: organic@icc-al.org, Albanian Organic Agriculture Association, www.organic.org.al

The Swiss Parliament has adopted a proposal for a moratorium on any GMO commercialisation. The decision needs to be confirmed by the second chamber in June this year. It would preempt an initiative for a public vote on this issue, which had been initated by environmental groups, farmer organisations and representatives of all parties.</p><p><a href="http://www.parlament.ch/ab/frameset/d/n/4618/81315/d_n_4618_81315_81316.htm?DisplayTextOid=81317">Protokoll der Nationalrats-Sitzung</a>