IS SOUTH AFRICA IN THE US WTO SIGHTS OVER GM IMPORT BAN?
OPINION AND ANALYSIS: BY MARIAM MAYET, AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY – AUGUST 2006 South Africa’s ban on GM import approvals South Afric’s pro-genetic engineering (GE) stance is well documented[1] and enshrined in national government policy.[2] During the period 2001-4, South Africa’s Executive Council (ExCo)[3] established under the Genetically Modified Organisms Act (“GMO Act”) has allowed the importation into South Africa of millions of tonnes of cheap genetically modified (GM) maize[4], much to the delight of the animal feed[5], meat and dairy industries in South Africa. During September/October 2005, the ExCo took a decision not to approve any more new[6] GM applications for the purposes of importation into South Africa as food, feed and processing (also known as commodity import applications). This decision was taken by the ExCo in order to accommodate the serious concerns raised by one of the ExCo members, the national Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), regarding price disto
