Germany Initiates Move to Ban GMO Crops
August 24, 2015
Reuters - Germany has
initiated a move to stop the growing of genetically modified crops under
new European Union rules, documents seen by Reuters showed on Monday.
German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt has informed
German state governments of his intention to tell the EU that Germany
will make use of new "opt-out" rules to stop GMO crop cultivation even
if varieties have been approved by the EU, a letter from the agriculture
ministry seen by Reuters shows.
A new EU law approved in March cleared the way for new GMO
crops to be approved after years of previous deadlock. But the law also
gave individual countries the right to opt out by banning GMO crops
even after they have been approved as safe by the European Commission.
Widely-grown in the Americas and Asia, GMO crops have
divided opinion in Europe. Britain is among those in favor of them,
while France and Germany are among those opposed.
Previously, when the EU approved crops as safe to produce
they had to be permitted for cultivation in all EU states.
In the letter, the ministry stressed that Schmidt is
continuing a previously-announced policy to keep a ban on GMOs in
Germany.
Under
the new EU rules, countries have until Oct. 3, 2015, to inform the
Commission that they wish to opt out of new EU GMO cultivation
approvals, the ministry letter said.
Schmidt has asked German state authorities to say by Sept.
11 whether their region should be included in the opt-out, the letter
said.
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