Court admits CPP to GMO case

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) yesterday joined the suit against the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the National Biosafety Committee to stop the release and commercialisation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

That was after the Human Rights Division of the High Court had admitted the party as the second plaintiff in the case.

As a co-plaintiff, the CPP will support Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG), which is seeking an injunction to stop the two government institutions from releasing and commercialising genetically modified (GM) rice and cowpeas.

At yesterday’s hearing, two other bodies, the Vegetarian Association of Ghana and the Kanyan Akuafo Association, also expressed their intention to join the suit.

However, the court, presided over by Mr Justice Bright Kofi Essel Mensah, adjourned the case to June 15, 2015 to enable the two bodies to complete their filing processes.

Previous hearing

At the last hearing on May 6, 2015, the Chairperson of the CPP, Ms Samia Nkrumah, said the party had instructed its lawyers on the suit against the commercialisation of GMOs in the country.

“The Central Committee of the CPP has approved a decision to join the suit in support of Food Sovereignty Ghana against the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Biosafety Commission.

“We always support the cause that Ghana does not need GM food,” she stated.

The FSG, made up of Ghanaians home and abroad, filed an injunction to stop MoFA and the National Biosafety Commission from releasing and commercialising the sale of GM rice and cowpeas in Ghana.

It claimed that MoFA did not have the authority to commercialise such products.

It also argued that the government could not go ahead to implement the process for GM food, since it had failed to comply with the provisions of the main Biosafety Act.

Besides, it said the government had also failed to consult and engage the public to create awareness of GMOs.

Other respondents

On March 3, 2015, the injunction application put in by the FSG was upheld by the Accra Fast Track High Court, which said MoFA could not approve the sale of GMOs until it ruled on the matter.

The court has admitted the Attorney-General and the National Biosafety Authority as the other defendants in the case.

That was after a representative of the A-G had requested the court to join the National Biosafety Authority and the A-G’s Department as the third and fourth defendants, respectively.

At the last hearing on April 2, 2015, the court adjourned the case to May 4, 2015, after a State Attorney had told the court that the third defendant, the National Biosafety Authority, had not filed an appearance and defence since it was served.