Side Event

U.S. Views on Handling, Transport, Packaging, and Identification of LMOs

Organizer
U.S. Department of State

Date and Time
23 February 2004 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
First meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BS COP MOP 1)

<p>The ICCP process did not provide clear guidance on implementation of Article 18.2(a) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB); specifically, which shipments of commodities for food, feed, and for processing (FFP) should be accompanied by documentation stating that they "may contain" living modified organisms. </p><p>Several countries that export FFP commodities have considered this issue since ICCP-3, and have developed a set of key elements that satisfy the requirements of Article 18.2.(a) in ways that do not disrupt commercial trade, while fulfilling the objectives of the CPB with regard to protecting biodiversity. Canada, Mexico, and the United States have embodied these elements into a trilateral arrangement according to the provisions of Articles 14 and 24 of the CPB. </p><p>In this presentation and discussion, the United States, accompanied by Canada and Mexico, will describe the key elements we developed for implementing Article 18.2(a). We will also describe the nature and content of our trilateral arrangement.<p>