For a moratorium on the import of papaya seeds in New Caledonia

Petition for a Moratorium on imported papaya seeds to New Caledonia

In February of 2014, the New Caledonian Government passed an order to ban the importation of GM fruit seeds, including papaya, into the territory. The ban was put into place in August of 2014. Nevertheless, this new law went nearly unnoticed: no debate on this serious issue…are there GM papaya plants in New Caledonia?

In spite of repeated demands, the institutions of New Caledonia have continued to turn a political blind eye regarding the presence of possible GM papaya plants in the territory and the probable contamination to the traditional local papayas. For several years now, the Office of Agriculture Development of the Southern Province have recommended using papaya seeds from the Hawaiian SunUp variety, the infamous GM papaya developed by the University of Hawaii.

The importation of seeds, and the contamination of local papaya plants is of no doubt, now is the time to inform the population in order to take the necessary steps to stop it. Moreover, given the risks of contamination and the spreading of GM papaya everywhere, it is no longer reasonable to continue to import papaya seeds into New Caledonia at all, even if they are not considered GMO.

> In Hawaii, 90% of papaya production is GM, with two varieties, SunUP and Rainbow (papayas with red flesh and under the brand name of Sunrise).
> 50% of the non-GM papaya plants grown in Hawaii have been contaminated by their GM counterparts.
> China has been authorized to grow another GM variety, called Huaong No 1, since 2006.
> There have been GM papaya trials conducted in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Phillipines, and probably also in India, Brazil, and Nigeria.
> Papaya contamination has been reported in Taiwan, China, Hong-Kong, and Fiji.
> GM Papaya is regularly detected in food products in Europe, even with the current restrictions against GMOs! The European Commission has now asked for stricter testing in the exporting countries such as Thailand.

Co-existence is IMPOSSIBLE !
And it will ruin the economies of the Pacific Island nations.
We invite Pacific Islanders to join our appeal.

By signing this petition, I ask to the New Caledonian authorities:

1. Disclose information publically on the past importation of GM Papayas in New Caledonia.
2. Make an official assessment on the actual contamination in the territory.
3. Impose a moratorium on the importation of papaya seeds in New Caledonia.