EU countries secure opt-out option over the growing of GM crops
Environment ministers decided to let individual member countries ban the planting of gene-altered crops so EU nations that favour such seeds can grow them, denting a free-trade tenet of the union.
The ministers swung behind a 2010 proposal to give national governments an opt-out when it comes to cultivating gene-altered crops. “This is a real step forward in unblocking the dysfunctional EU process for approving GM crops, which is currently letting down our farmers and stopping scientific development,” said UK secretary of state for the environment Owen Paterson.
The draft law aims to accelerate endorsements at EU level of requests to plant GM seeds made by firms such as Monsanto and declared safe by scientists.
A political split in Europe over crop risks has delayed EU permission to grow them and prompted complaints by the US and other trade partners seeking to expand the global biotech-seed market, valued at almost €12bn last year.
The industry criticised the planned rule changes, with the European Association for Bioindustries saying they “renationalise” EU policy and Monsanto alleging they disregard science.
“This decision would be tragic-comic if it didn’t send such a bad signal to the rest of the world that it’s OK to ignore science and ban things for populist purposes,” said Brandon Mitchener, a Brussels-based spokesman for Monsanto.
“The proposal makes it clear that the EU’s objections to GM crops are political rather than scientific.”
The European Commission put forward the 2010 proposal and wants to enlarge Europe’s share of the biotech-seed market in the face of resistance by half or more of the bloc’s members.
Surveys show opposition to GM foods by EU consumers, who worry about risks such as human resistance to antibiotics and oppose ‘superweeds’ that are impervious to herbicides.
Biotech foods range from corn to oilseeds in which genetic material has been altered to add traits such as resistance to weed-killing chemicals.
Under the accord, any EU government could request that an applicant for authorisation to grow GM crops in the bloc “adjust the geographical scope” of its request “to the effect that part or all of the territory of that member state be excluded from cultivation”.
Should the applicant oppose the adjustment sought, the EU government would have the right to “adopt measures restricting or prohibiting the cultivation of that gene-modified organism in all or part of its territory once authorised”, according to the deal.
