Aggie company says Greenpeace move ‘unnecessary, unfortunate’

General Milling Corp. (GMC) described yesterday the blocking by activists of Greenpeace of a soybean shipment being unloaded at its soybean milling plant in Batangas the other day as "unnecessary and unfortunate as it was based on a wrong information."

In a statement, GMC’s corporate affairs director Ric Pinca said even Greenpeace’s allegation that the company’s snack foods contained genetically engineered ingredients is "grossly inaccurate and misleading."

Pinca said the "guerrilla-style" action by Greenpeace advocates was not just unlawful and dangerous in the process (where they could have hurt themselves) but it also violated property rights of GMC.

Members of the international environmentalist group swooped down on GMC’s wharf in Tabangao, Batangas Sunday, blocking the unloading of some 17,000 tons of soybeans off a Chinese vessel by chaining themselves to the conveyor belt.

The Greenpeace activists also unfurled a huge streamer on one side of the vessel, Qui Gon Jinn, calling on the United States to stop dumping genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Asia.

They pulled out three hours later after Sen. Gregorio Honasan and Marikina Rep. Del de Guzman promised to call for a congressional inquiry into the entry of GMOs into the Philippines.

Pinca said that GMC, like all other importers of soybean and soybean meal, buys commodities grown from all over the United States.

"These are the same commodities American consumers use in their daily lives and are not ‘risky and experimental’ products as claimed by Greenpeace," he said.

Besides, these products, Pinca said, have been "tested and cleared phytosanitarily" by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) which, he added, utilizes one of the toughest and most modern testing procedures and equipment in the world.

The Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry and Bureau of Plant Industry have also cleared these commodities for importation, he said.

Feedmillers use soybean meal to supply the protein requirement of animal feed products. The Philippines imports over one million metric tons of soybeans from the United States, India, Argentina and Brazil.

Most of these imports land at the Asian Terminal in Mariveles, Bataan, Subic Bay Freeport in Olongapo City and the Port of Manila.

Pinca said GMC’s snack items Granny Goose Tortillos and Kornets are made from corn grown in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon and General Santos City, which are all locally produced and are not genetically modified.

Imported corn with tariff of 65 percent is too expensive to use as a snack product that sells only P3.50 per pack in sari-sari stores, he said.

"Obviously, Greenpeace has been fed inaccuracies," he said.

Pinca said GMC supports the government’s policy of promoting the "safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology and its products" to achieve and sustain food security.

"We will continue to bring in commodities that are not available locally in sufficient quantities to augment our supply requirements and meet our customers’ demands," he said.

Pinca, however, said the company will strictly adhere to the government’s food safety regulations and maintain high quality control standards.

"Greenpeace’s objection to genetically modified crops is at best speculative and not properly actionable at the moment," he said.

Pinca said Greenpeace and its corporate backers "should not involve Filipino consumers in their fight for corporate supremacy against their US competition."

The Philippines, like other developing countries, needs to develop self-sufficiency in its food requirements, he said.

"It is essential that we take advantage of the advances that science has to offer to ensure that there is enough food for everyone at a price within reach," he said.