UK Tries to Block European Safeguard on GMOs
If removed, European farmers could sow billions of GM seeds annually without even realizing it. Currently, the UK is quite free of genetically modified crops. That would surely change without this rule.
The document is set to be finalized by ministers across Europe on Thursday. It was drawn up by France to enforce guidelines on using such technologies as GM crops which continually contaminate conventional crops. Say that three times fast. According to The Independent, a study found that two-thirds of US conventional crops are “contaminated” in this way.
Four years ago the EU drew up plans that would allow 0.5 per cent contamination of beet seeds, and 0.3 per cent of maize and oilseed rape ones. This would have permitted the growth of up to 4.5 billion GM oilseed rape plants, and 2.3 billion GM beet plants, across Europe every year, but the plans were scrapped after many protests.
Now every European government except Britain wishes to reduce the permitted level of GMOs to lowest amount that is scientifically detectable. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says it is being “pragmatic and proportionate” by opposing the provision, but Clare Oxborrow of Friends of the Earth says its position is “an indefensible threat to GM-free farming”.
Photo: © Danijel Micka | Dreamstime.com
