15/03/2011

The European Commission’s suggestions that decisions over GM legislation should be made on a state by state basis haves met with strong opposition. After an environment council meeting, the Commission has said it will let states decide whether or not to grow GMOs (genetically modified organisms) within their borders on an individual basis.  

John Dalli, the commissioner in charge of the case, has submitted a list of justifications for banning GM; they include reservations over public order, moral objections, issues with land use and cross contamination, although Dalli has said the list may be added to or refined over the course of subsequent meetings.  

Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg have rejected the propositions out of hand, France’s reaction has been less clear cut; “While progress is being made, the advancements are still insufficient” commented Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, France’s Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development. France has demanded a socio-economic evaluation of the potential consequences of allowing GMOs to be grown on its territory, including the dangers of cross-contamination.

It would appear that most governments have reservations over the readiness of the Commission to accept states eager to adopt GM technology; the Bulgarian minister, Nona Karadjova, has vociferously demanded the Commission “take public opinion into account.”

French farming resource La France Agricole today reported that a petition of over one million signatories, all EU citizens mobilised by Greenpeace and the Avaaz (World in Action) campaigning group which demands that moves towards authorisation be scrapped, has been submitted to the Commission. The petition was submitted to Mr Dalli who has promised to respond.

Spelman eager to press ahead with GM

However, Defra head Caroline Spelman, who together with her husband runs a pro-biotechnology lobbying company, has condemned the EU’s suggestions for different reasons. Criticising the draft legislation tabled by the EU executive in July, Spelman objected to its ability to allow governments to restrict or ban GM cultivation in all or part of their territories.

Speaking at an EU ministers' meeting in Brussels, Caroline Spelman speculated that proposals could be ineffectual in unblocking the EU approval system for GM crops, which has seen just two varieties approved for growing in more than a decade. She also criticised Dalli’s provisional list of reasons to suspend GM cultivation, saying, "We're concerned that suggesting public order as possible grounds for a ban could have the unintended consequence of actually encouraging public disorder by certain groups who want to put pressure on member states to ban GMOs."

A British diplomat was reported by Reuters today as saying that, while there is still no commonly agreed government position on the proposals, ministers have fears that the legislation could complicate things for countries like the UK who want to press ahead with research into GM crops.