GE Actions by the Irish Green Party.

• Author: Giles, Paula
• Position: Genetic engineering

The Green Party in Ireland has been at the forefront of the campaign against genetic engineering in Ireland. The combination of environmental activism and political activity that Green Party members in Ireland operate meant that we knew the importance of the application to grow sugar beet which Monsanto had tucked away in a small provincial paper. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) was being asked to allow the first tests for a genetically engineered crop in Ireland. Having lodged objections to the applications just before the deadline, we decided to build our campaign based on as much factual evidence as possible. Thanks to the immediate support and responses from various people around the world, we have proven to be the bump that the Monsanto steamroller could not flatten on its way to world domination of the food chain. It has been a great privilege to be able to build links over the past two years with many people around the globe, most memorably at the 1998 Grassroots Gathering on Biodevastation, hosted in St. Louis by the Gateway Greens.

As a member of a residents' association which has campaigned for many years against the biggest genetically-engineered pharmaceutical factory (Schering-Plough) in the world; I was well aware that the EPA in Ireland does not have any responsibility for monitoring or for any effects of an industrial activity outside the factory site. This act of gross omission has been confirmed by the EPA -and applies to licenses to grow experimental GE crops.

The EPA also refused to hold an oral hearing or indeed any form of public debate on the licenses issued for GE test sites in Ireland. They have followed consistently their record of doing the bare minimum as required by law; acceding to any request by the pharmachem industry which they have discretion on.

In fact, in Ireland even if a company breaches its Environmental Pollution License, the EPA considers that company still to be in compliance with the license conditions; if it "tries to be" in compliance!! We also supported the setting up of an organization called Genetic Concern, which is now the main Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) campaigning on GE crops and food. When they went to court last year, they were effectively told by the judge that even though their concerns were genuine and well- founded, the court could only rule on matters such as whether the deadlines were adhered to by the EPA

Meanwhile, on foot of a complaint lodged by Green...