An EU Directive intended to allow EU states to be GM free could turn out to be catastrophic for English farmers, the Soil Association has warned.
Today (12 June) the EU’s Council of Minsters reached a political agreement on a draft Directive that provides a legal basis to allow member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs authorised, or are under authorisation, by the EU.
Commenting on the decision to allow EU states to be GM free, Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director (pictured) said:
“Most English farmers now face a looming threat to their business. The decision is likely to leave English farmers at a huge economic disadvantage. If so, it would be catastrophic for all farmers in England – not just organic farmers.
“This decision now has to be agreed by the European Parliament, and there are currently no GM crops authorised for use in the EU that can be grown in England.
“However, in future a committed pro-GM Secretary of State like Owen Paterson could take the decision to make England a ‘GM country’, and once that decision is taken, and GM crops are established, it will be extremely difficult for any future Government to adopt a different position. Indeed, the current proposal suggests that it may be legally very difficult for future governments to disallow a GM crop once it has been agreed for that country.
“If these new EU proposals are finally adopted, most countries in the EU, including Scotland and Wales, will remain GM free, as countries like France and Poland already are. England, along with possibly one or two other European Member States, risks getting a reputation as the GM centre of Europe. This will lead to our farmers losing export markets to the rest of Europe, and indeed to most of the rest of the world (Russia has recently proposed banning GM imports, and China has said they will not grow GM food). Farmers in both the US and Canada lost $100s of millions worth of exports when these two countries started growing GM crops.
“The European Parliament inserted a new clause on the liability for damage caused by GM crops into this proposal. The European Parliament text also significantly improves existing EU law by making it compulsory for Member States to implement rules that prevent contamination of the GM free sector. It is vital that the European Parliament continue to insist on these amendments.
Proposed new law is poisoned chalice, says FoEE
The new law on GM agreed today by EU ministers theoretically allows individual countries to ban genetically GM crops. But in reality they are a poisoned chalice which could open Europe’s fields to more biotech crops, says Friends of the Earth Europe.
The proposed new law, says FoEE, would grant biotech companies unprecedented power. “Companies like Syngenta and Monsanto would be given the legal right to decide whether a national ban should be allowed. If companies oppose bans, national governments would be forced to fall back on non-scientific legal grounds, opening the door to legal challenges.”
FOEE’s food campaigner, Mute Schimpf, added: “It is unacceptable that companies like Monsanto will be given the first say in any decision to ban their products. Governments must be able to ban unwanted and risky GM crops without needing the permission of the companies who profit from them.”
