Press release from CIAM, the Panamanian environmental group that uncovered that AquaBounty lacked proper environmental permits for its GE salmon operation: Due to administrative complaint filed by CIAM at ANAM regarding the handling of GMOs regulated by international obligations Panama possesses, Aquabounty is sanctioned Panama, October 28, 2014. The National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM, for its acronym in Spanish), through Resolution 071-2014-ARACH of July 30, 2014, imposed a penalty of nine thousand five hundred dollars ($ 9.500) to the project Aqua Bounty Panama located in the Township of Los Naranjos, District of Boquete, Province of Chiriqui. The company Aqua Bounty Panama S of RL who owns the site where ponds for breeding and fattening of transgenic salmon are kept, failed to comply with the permitting of water use, wastewater discharge and late delivery of environmental monitoring reports, inter alia, as established by Executive Decree 123 of 2009 and Resolution DINEORA IA-813-2010, which approved the Environmental Impact Category I of the project. The administrative complaint filed by CIAM before ANAM on November 21, 2013, was based on procedural violations committed by the company, which were detailed in the technical reports issued by ANAM. Also, the complaint was based on international obligations Panama has regarding the handling of genetically modified organisms. This claim was supported by international organizations such as Genewatch (UK), Food and Water Watch (USA), Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (Canada), Friends of the Earth (International), the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (Regional), and the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW). The complaint served to promote and strengthen research that had been initiated by ANAM, which may help stop the processing of the application presented before the FDA for the approval of human consumption of transgenic salmon. CIAM applauds this important action taken by the Regional Administration of ANAM in Chiriquí in compliance with their legal duties, and takes this opportunity to urge the authorities to continue their efforts to monitor and control projects and activities with approved environmental impact assessments, so that strict adherence to Panamanian environmental regulations is guaranteed, strengthening the rule of law.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:13:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015