Sri Lanka's GM food ban delayed indefinitely - source
Date: 04-Sep-01
Country: SRI LANKA
The ban, which drew criticism from the United States and was delayed for three months at the request of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), had been due to go into effect on September 1.
"The secretary of the Health Ministry has issued a circular ordering that the regulations do not go into force until further notice," said the senior official, who did not want to be identified.
The ban had been recommended by a government committee which said Sri Lanka needed time to study health risks associated with the new technology.
Proponents of GM products say they contribute to higher crop yields and lower production costs, while critics fear long-term health and environmental consequences.
A ban went into force on May 1 but was later delayed until September 1 after criticism from Washington, which said there was "no credible scientific evidence" to justify it.
The WTO had also asked Sri Lanka to give its trading partners 60 days to prepare for the restrictions.
The ban required 21 categories of food imports to be completely free of GM products which contain a gene from another organism, generally to make them resistant to herbicides or to produce their own toxins to kill pests.
"We don't know whether it will ever see the light of day," the official said.
The ban had also drawn fire from local business groups which asked the government to wait until 2003 when the United Nations Codex Alimentarius Commission is due to announce an international standards regime for GM foods.
Health Ministry officials said the ban had not been expected to seriously hamper Sri Lankan trade except in processed foods.
Sri Lanka is a significant importer of wheat and sugar.
