At some point today (January 27) European governments will decide whether to approve the first genetically modified crops in 19 years, against a background of widespread opposition from farmers and the wider public.
The European Commission will put the approval of two new GM maize types to a vote, as well as the re-approval of the only GM crop currently permitted for cultivation in the EU.
The decision concerns GM maize types from Syngenta and Dow-Pioneer with the technical names BT11 and 1507, and the renewal of the only GM maize currently allowed (Mon810 from Monsanto).
The two new crops are resistant to the highly toxic herbicide produced by Bayer (glufosinate) and harm certain specific maize pests as well as butterflies. The safety checks of these new GM crops are completely flawed; neither the environmental impacts of the herbicide nor the impacts on butterflies were assessed, according to FoE.
The vote comes at a time when large agri-business corporations are looking to strengthen their control on food production with three major merger in the sector - including German chemical giant Bayer’s US$66billion deal to buy US agrochemical giant Monsanto.
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth, says they will be monitoring today’s vote very closely, although she doesn’t know exactly when it will take place.
“The vote is taking place today and this is the committee that is taking decisions on GM authorizations. It is up to the Commission to figure out when the vote is happening, but we anticipate later this afternoon. The positions are made in all countries by the governments,” she says.
“We expect the majority to vote against the authorizations and then the question is ‘what will the Commission's do with it?’ because you need quite a big majority against it, something like two thirds against, and this will not necessarily happen today.”
“There are still some countries that are undecided such as Sweden, Denmark and Italy, so it’s still a bit open but other countries like Spain and UK may vote in favor, while Italy and Poland will vote against. It's really up to the Commission either to accept that the majorIty of governments in Europe don’t want GM crops on their fields as, in most countries, citizens are clearly opposing it.”
Biotech crops play an insignificant role in the EU, according to FoE, as they are grown on less than 1% of agricultural land, mainly in Spain and Portugal. Approval of these GM crops would only encourage the biotech industry to push new toxin-producing crops.
“Also if you take a look at the two countries where you have a cultivation of GM crops, Spain and Portugal, cultivation is decreasing and even farmers are losing interest in them. For us this is a very clear message to turn to more sustainable farming and environmentally friendly methods that are better for climate change than for GMOs,” Schimpf adds.
by Gaynor Selby
