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"Genetic engineering focuses on the genetic makeup without taking into account the complete organism or system in which the organism functions. It is thus a contradiction to the above mentioned principal aims of organic agriculture." The prohibition is made specific in the subsequent sections of the Standards. It applies not only to genetically engineered plants, animals, and microorganisms, but also to products of genetically engineered organisms such as enzymes and amino acids. There is no provision for a case-by-case authorization for specific products. The current working definition of genetic engineering is: Genetic engineering refers to techniques from molecular biology or cell biology with which the genetic material of microorganisms, plants, animals, cells, or other biological units may be altered in a way or with results which could not be obtained under natural conditions or by processes which operate at the level of the whole organism, such as selective breeding. The above definition includes but is not limited to recombinant DNA, gene deletion and doubling, changing the position of a gene, cell fusion, micro- and macroencapsulation. If there is a question as to whether a particular technique falls within the definition, the matter is put before the IFOAM Genetic Engineering Working Group for a recommendation. Products of all techniques determined to fall within the definition are prohibited at all stages of production, irrespective of whether they may be detected in the final product. Although the determination as to whether a particular technique falls within the definition should be based on "sound science," the prohibition itself derives from numerous factors not limited to science, including ethical and philosophical notions fundamental to the concept of organic agriculture. The term "genetically engineered organism" (GEO) is used rather than "genetically modified (or manipulated) organism" (GMO) in recognition of the fact that modifications (and manipulations) to the genome of living organisms may be obtained by traditional techniques such as selection and hybridization. The definition does not refer to the term "biotechnology," which is considered to encompass traditional techniques of food processing such as fermentation and brewing. The exclusion of genetic engineering from organic production and processing does not alter the fundamental approach of organic certification as a "production method" guarantee. Labelling 1. IFOAM strongly supports clear and comprehensive labelling of all genetically engineered foods, food ingredients, processing agents, fodder and fodder components, seeds, and other reproductive material in order to reduce the burdens on the organic sector of certifying that organic products have been produced without recourse to genetic engineering. 2. IFOAM does not support positive labelling of conventional products as not containing genetically engineered components, as long as it is possible to maintain the guarantee that organic foods are produced without recourse to genetic engineering. Only if it becomes illegal or impossible to enforce that guarantee within the organic system, would IFOAM support positive labelling for conventional products. In order to promote its rejection of genetic engineering in organic agriculture, IFOAM undertakes the following: Appointment of an IFOAM Working Group on Genetic Engineering to assist the Standards Committee, the IFOAM Accreditation Programme, and the Board in responding to questions that arise related to certification, accreditation, international trade, and determining whether specific techniques fall within the definition of "genetically engineered," as well as to give advice in the development of campaign activities, literature, etc. Assistance with procedures and guidelines to certify exclusion of genetic engineering applications in farming and food processing. Lobbying to maintain the exclusion of genetic engineering from organic agriculture in national and international regulations and fora and to ensure that it has no place in the concept of "sustainable," and for the mandatory publication of gene sequences which have been introduced into genetically engineered products. Work toward ensuring the maintenance of supply for non-genetically engineered products needed in organic production Media work to communicate and capitalize on our guarantee that organic products certified by IFOAM-accredited bodies are produced without recourse to genetic engineering. An educational and promotion campaign aimed at assisting our members in capitalizing on the guarantee that organic food is produced without recourse to genetic engineering. Participation in international NGO coalitions, specific actions, petitions, etc. aimed at opposing genetic engineering food and agriculture and patents on life, demanding transparency in labelling policies and stringent regulation, etc. Fundraising for the above activities. Please click to see what is I F O A M  Formal legal petition against the US Envrionmental Protection Agency has been submitted in Washington 16th September 97 by Greenpeace International, the International Federation of Organic Movements (world organisation of organic farmers, certifiers, producers, retailers, 650 members in over 100 countries), the Sierra Club, the National Family Farm Coalition, California Certified Organic Farmers, the Institute for Argiculture and Trade Policy and over 20 organic farmers and organisations. The central demands of the petition are that the EPA a)cancel the registrations of all genetically engineered plants that contain the B.t. pesticide. b)refrain from taking any new registration procedures, or determinations of registration, and c)complete a programmatic impact statement analyzing the agency s registering of genetically engineered plants that express B.t. Petitioners allege that, in approving transgenic plants carrying the Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin, EPA is seriously threatening the future of organic agriculture and jeopardizing the genetic diversity of major food crops such as corn, potatoes and tomatoes in their Centers of Origin. Petitioners also charge that EPA s actions violate numerous federal laws and regulations and will cause significant human health and environmental problems. Inquieries and comments can be adressed to: Benedikt Haerlin Greenpeace International Genetic Engineering coordinator +49 40 30618-410, fax -140, assistant Barbara Kuepper -454 e-mail: [email protected]  Greenpeace calls on the Ministry of Environment to implement Clean Production policy Izmit Bay, Kocaeli, 26 September 1999 - The activists in the dinghies coming from the flagship Rainbow Warrior collected samples of wastewater and sediment in front of the outfalls of several major industries located on Izmit Bay. The samples will be sent to the Greenpeace Research Laboratories in the UK to be analysed. The earthquake that occurred on the 17th of August not only caused massive damage to the cities but also to the industries located in the area and thus posed a substantial additional threat to human health and the environment. The Tupras refinery fire and the Acrylonitrile (ACN) leakage from synthetic fiber producer AKSA were the most visible environmental disasters. However, the extent and impact of the industrial leakages could have easily been much worse when the many other polluting industries in the region, and the hazardous chemicals they handle and produce, are taken into account. "The earthquake has been a terrible human catastrophe. It has also highlighted again, not only the dangers of urban and industrial development on geological faults, but also the highly hazardous nature of the chemicals produced and used by industry every day, together with the dangerous consequences when they are released to the environment" said Tolga Temuge, Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean, on board the Rainbow Warrior. "The possibility of food and environmental contamination resulting from the chemical leaks and fires has, understandably, become a widespread concern. Nevertheless, what the public has yet to realise is that the greater threat of food contamination arises from the normal day-to-day activities of the chemical industry,particularly the production and use of chlorinated chemicals" he added. "These industries have been poisoning our seas, our water, our food and our future for many years. Izmit Bay did not die in one night." Dr. David Santillo from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, UK drew attention to the fact that the information about the chemical releases Greenpeace received is limited to that supplied by the Ministry of Environment and some companies. "As there was no independent body to monitor, check and investigate these companies and provide health information to the public, it is impossible to determine the full extent of damage to the environment and human health, which might > ultimately result from these chemical releases, beyond the very visible fire at Tupras and the animal killings near AKSA. Greenpeace had sent a team to the disaster area on the second day of the earthquake to investigate the industries and report it to the authorities. It was Greenpeace that documented huge cracks at the illegal dumpsite of Petkim located right next to the sea. (1) It is highly possible that similar cracks may have formed inside the plant area at other factories or even the treatment plant. As regards the Tupras refinery fire, Greenpeace gathered information about the substance on fire from the Tupras authorities and learned that it was light run naphtha, which had very low concentration of Aromatics, sulphur and no lead. Nevertheless, the naphtha fire clearly generated a great deal of smoke, which would have contained substantial concentrations of hazardous chemicals, including some PAHs. "This sort of fire does not completely destroy the chemicals which are burning, and may generate new and even more toxic compounds in the process, which are then spread over a very wide area," said Dr Santillo.With reference to the notorious AKSA leakage, Dr. Santillo explained that acrylonitrile (vinyl cyanide) is a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance. Though it would not be expected to persist for long periods in surface soils and waters, or to accumulate to particularly high levels in vegetables, the possibility that the spill might have led to contamination of the sub-soil or underlying freshwater aquifers must be investigated. "At the same time, toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative substances, continue to be produced and emitted every day from plants such as Petkim and the Izmit Incinerator. These substances are targeted as a priority to be eliminated at source under the Barcelona Convention to which Turkey is a contracting party. The production of PVC, for example, is specifically recognised under the United Nations Strategic Action Plan for the Mediterranean as a source of dioxins. (3) Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Temuge said, "Whether or not the vegetables next to AKSA are contaminated is clearly an urgent question. However, the wider question is the extent to which the food we consume every day, all over Turkey, is contaminated through the normal activities of the chlorine chemical industry and the products and by-products they generate. Turkey does not even have a laboratory to analyse dioxins, which are amongst the most toxic chemicalS ever produced." "We should learn from the earthquake and the leakages from AKSA and TUPRAS and should not wait for another catastrophe to us be alerted against these polluting industries. Every single citizen in Turkey must start questioning what chemicals are being used and dumped into the environment from the chemical plants next to them, or which are present in the products they use. They must also demand the development of Clean Production processes where no toxic chemicals are used and produced and which exert progressively lower impacts on the environment and human health." Temuge concluded. NOTES: 1. Research previously conducted by the Greenpeace Research Laboratories clearly identified PVC production at Petkim's Aliaga complex as an important point source of heavily dioxin- contaminated wastes. More than 40 other > toxic chlorinated chemicals were also identified in these wastes. Petkim's Yarimca plant is engaged in similar production processes and may reasonably be expected to be producing similar wastes. The Greenpeace research also revealed the contamination of the ALIAGA workforce with mercury from the chlorine production plant; like dioxins, mercury is targeted as a priority for elimination under the Barcelona Convention. Dioxins are highly toxic chemicals which, in common with many other organochlorine chemicals, are capable of building up to elevated levels in living organisms, particularly in fatty tissues, and in fatty foods such as oily fish, meat and dairy products. They can exert a wide range of toxic effects in animals, including damage to the nervous and reproductive systems, impairment of development and interference with the hormone system. 2,3,7,8-TCDD, the most toxic form, is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic to humans. - Greenpeace Mediterranean today demanded that the Turkish government must ratify the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, when Turkey will be present at the upcoming Ministerial meeting to take place in October of this year. During a press conference on board the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, the environmental organization also drew attention to the degradation of the most important economical and environmental resource in the region through the launch of video documenting the extent of pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. The Deputy Undersecretary from the Ministry of Environment, Melih Akalin, also joined the press conference on board. "Over twenty years of discussion, since the conception of the Mediterranean Action Plan, have led to no concrete action being taken to protect the Mediterranean Sea, whilst pollution drowns the marine ecosystem daily, " said Tolga Temuge, Toxics Campaigner of Greenpeace Mediterranean Office in Turkey. " The authorities responsible for the degredation of our environment still continue to give promises with no effective action whilst public health and the environment, upon which we depend for survival, continue to be abused. Enough is enough. They are the ones who are responsible for this, they are the ones who can bring about change and they must to stop this." Izmit Bay, Izmir Bay and Aliaga remain the most toxic hot spots in Turkey on the Mediterranean coast. Industries like the Petkim Petrochemical Complex, which continuously emits highly toxic chemicals like dioxins, continue to discharge their waste into the Mediterranean sea. Izmir bay continues to be one of the most polluted parts of the whole Mediterranean Sea, as defined by the United Nations. In Aliaga, shipbreaking poses grave risks to the workers whilst inflicting continued abuse on our marine environment. "The devastation caused by the earthquake that occurred in Turkey last month proved to us that our regard for the environment must be a priority. We have yet to realise that economic growth, industrial development, and quality of life are necessarily linked to a clean environment. If politicians held public interest as their main regard, then we would not be building our polluting industries on fault lines and we not be spewing toxic materials into our seas. So let's cut the words and take action before it's too late." The governments of the coastal Mediterranean states have been promising to stop the degradation of the sea for over two decades. Back in 1975, all nations bordering the sea (except Albania, Algeria and Syria) and the EU (then the EC) gathered at the MAP meeting, promised to "take all appropriate measures to prevent, abate and combat pollution in the Mediterranean Sea area and to protect and improve the marine environment in the area. Still, the Mediterranean faces the new millenium as a threatened future if politicians remain ineffective in its regard. Mediterranean governments must focus on the need for ratification of all protocols in the Barcelona Convention during their preparations for the upcoming Mediterranean Ministerial meeting to be held in Malta in October of this year. The six protocols which now define the convention need to be implemented throughout the Mediterranean and become the environmental watchdog the sea craves, the Greenpeace Mediterranean office said. Today, all Mediterranean states, including the EU, are members of the Barcelona Convention. However, only with ratification will the Convention legally enter into force and bind each country to implement legislation that will free the Mediterranean from the plague of toxic pollution that is claiming its future. Currently, the only country to have ratified all protocols is Tunisia, with Monaco, Spain and Italy yet to ratify the Offshore and Hazardous Waste protocols. Recent developments have shown Morocco and Croatia moving towards ratification. Other member states are satisfied with perpetuating the molestation of the Mediterranean by prolonging ratification. The Convention is clearly under threat of becoming a political goal that the member states are only promising to implement in the distant future. The Mediterranean is today one of the most contaminated seas in the world, due to lack of governmental action whilst toxic currents run its ecosystem dry. "All Mediterranean governments share the guilt of contributing to the spawning of the sea's annihilation and all must carry the responsibility of reviving the Mediterranean by securing a toxic free future," said Temuge. Greenpeace demands that Mediterranean governments must ratify the convention and its ancillary protocols as amended, to allow the convention to enter into force by March 2000 (1). Our politicians must replace rhetoric with effective measures that will safeguard the Mediterranean legacy. For more information please contact; Tolga Temuge on 532-3243204 Dr. Mario Damato, Executive Director of Greenpeace Mediterranenan Office in Malta on 00-356-490785 NOTES 1. Ratification has to come early enough in the year 2000 to allow the countries to formulate the phase out schedules they themselves agreed to create by March that year. Unless the convention is ratified in time, the agreement will be rendered null and void. The Greenpeace Mediterranean Press Brief on the Barcelona Convention includes all the necessary background to the Convention. Photos may also be obtained from the Greenpeace office.
Greenpeace launches appeal to European Foundation Centre to import Sterilisation Unit for waste in disaster area Istanbul, 30 September 1999 - The Greenpeace Mediterranean office today revealed that a mobile sterilisation unit for clinical waste disposal en route to Turkey was turned down following the earthquake, when the Turkish Ministry of Environment decided to re-open the Izmit incinerator, a plant which has operated illegally in the past, and later closed down, due to its potential hazards to human health and the environment (1). Mr. Siegfried Zimmerman and Ms. Sabrina Poelvoorde, the representatives from the German company from which the sterilisation unit had been ordered, joined the press conference on board of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Istanbul. Greenpeace discovered that the Ministry of Environment's decision to allow the operation of the Izmit incinerator stopped the importation of a sterilisation unit, an autoclave, which was practically on its way to Turkey. Once the municipality had the necessary permit to utilise the polluting incinerator, the initiative to import clean alternatives was abolished. Zimmerman informed the media that the cancellation came at the last minute, after the company had redirected a unit destined for Mexico due to the urgent need for the unit in Turkey. After the earthquake on the 17th of August, Greenpeace had immediately sent a team from different Greenpeace offices all around the world to the disaster area to identify the problems and needs related to the environmental consequences of the earthquake. During the rescue operations, Greenpeace campaigners observed that the clinical waste generated at the several mobile hospitals was dumped into the environment without any treatment. In view of this, Greenpeace Mediterranean contacted a number of companies in Europe selling mobile sterilisation units, to find the most appropriate product to solve the waste problem in the disaster area. The Office also appealed the European Foundation Center to obtain donations in order to buy the sterilisation unit and donate it to the Turkish Ministry of Environment. (2) During negotiations with the company, Greenpeace was informed of the order for the sterilisation unit for Turkey that had been cancelled. When Greenpeace had learnt that the incinerator had been given a permit, it immediately warned Mr. Fevzi Aytekin, the Minister of Environment, that the Mayor of Izmit, Sefa Sirmen, would later use this against the Ministry to obtain an indefinite permit to continue its operations. In fact, the Mayor then declared to the media that they previously could not operate the incinerator simply for political reasons and that its current use justifies its need. "What the mayor of Izmit is currently doing is simply capitalising on the worst disaster to ever hit Turkey in order to minimise the debt his municipality is now in, following the closure of the plant. He is aware of the advantages of clinical waste sterilisation just as he is aware of the toxic chemicals, including dioxins, generated by incineration," said Tolga Temuge, Toxics Campaigner for the Greenpeace Mediterranean Office in Turkey. "Following a fierce Greenpeace campaign to eliminate the hazards posed by incineration, the Ministry of Environment, earlier this year, sent a declaration to all the Governors in Turkey, explaining the hazards of incineration and highlighting the necessity of shifting to clean technologies. Now, however, the same Minister is adding to the threats on public health following the earthquake disaster, by allowing the operation of this polluting incinerator, which could not get an operation permit even under normal conditions. What's worse is that the clean alternatives are available and the technology was on its way to Turkey before the Minister stopped it," stressed Temuge. During the press conference Zimmerman spoke of the technicalities of these types of sterilisation units and the benefits to be gained through their implementation. Greenpeace then marked the lack of demand for polluting technologies and the fact that western incinerator companies are forced to look for new markets to sell their polluting products. While in 1984, 554 incinerators for hospital waste were used, this number declined to 218 in 1987. Statistics for 1996 showed only 10 incinerators for hospital waste still in use. (3) "The autoclave, steam sterilisation, system is not only a clean alternative to incineration but also economical when compared to the investment and operating costs of incinerators. (4) The message is clear. Turkey is not rich enough to waste its money on these outdated technologies. The Turkish public will not be misled into believing authorities who are clearly serving their own political needs. Greenpeace demands that the Turkish Minister of Environment must immediately close down the Izmit incinerator once and for all," concluded Temuge. NOTES: 1- A German Company Lurgi, responsible for the construction of the Izmit Clinical and Hazardous Waste Incinerator, has frequently used Him-Tech as the engineering company for several of its incinerator projects. Him-Tech was to import the sterilisation unit for Turkey and later cancelled the order when the permit to operate the Izmit incinerator was given. The incinerator is owned by the Izmit Municipality and operated by IZAYDAS, which is also a company founded by the Izmit Municipality. The Izmit incinerator is designed according to the 1985 emission standards in Germany and does not even satisfy 1997 European legislation. The incinerator started operating last year but the permit from the Ministry of Environment was refused after the trial burn. However, IZAYDAS continued to receive hazardous waste from the industries in the region and operating the incinerator illegally. A fierce Greenpeace campaign, including several actions, the last in January of this year, led to the termination of the plant's operations. 2- Greenpeace has been campaigning on the waste problem in Mediterranean countries for many years, providing information about clean technologies to the governments of the Mediterranean States. Several times in the past, the Greenpeace Mediterranean office also informed the Turkish Ministry of Environment about the need to implement clean technologies to treat clinical waste and the different technologies available. The Ministry also responded positively to this call last year and announced that clinical waste incineration in Turkey would be phased out and that hospitals and municipalities should shift to cleaner technologies. 3. Incineration of clinical waste, especially those containing a high proportion of PVC plastic, results in the formation of substantial quantities of dioxin. Dioxins are highly persistent when released to the environment. They are able to concentrate in fatty foods and body tissues and can accumulate through the food chain. Once in the body, dioxins can cause negative health impacts, including impairment of development, damage to the reproductive and nervous system and disruption of hormone system. Dioxin is recognised as a human carcinogen. Dioxins are released to the air from the incinerator stack, but also concentrate in the ashes, creating yet another hazardous waste stream to be disposed of. The incineration of clinical waste reduces the volume of waste by 60 percent, whilst autoclaving/shredding of the same amount of clinical waste reduces the volume by 85 percent. Furthermore, the remaining waste from the autoclaving process is non-hazardous. 4. A small-sized mobile autoclave unit may cost between 500.000 -1.000.000 US Dollars, while just the flue gas treatment of a clinical waste incinerator costs 8 to 16 times more. The reasons why the incinerators cost so much needs to be investigated, recognising the tightening of the laws against air pollution and the combined increase of the costs for prevention techniques in the Western countries. As an example, the cost of just a working flue gas treatment for the incinerator at the University of Heidelberg in Germany is as high as 17,000,000 DM. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I was born in ESKISEHIRin 1956. I was graduated from ESKISEHIR MAARIF KOLEJI in 1974. In 1980,became an agricultural engineer by graduating from EGEAN UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL FACULTY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS (Vegetables, Fruits , Flowers -both Organic/Ecologic and conventional) ,LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE (Projects and Applications) , FROZEN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (Production and Exportation )are my different branches of business. I like to T R A V E L , N A T U R E , HISTORY and A R C H E O L O G Y ,meeting with new FRIENDS...
 
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