Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 19 • 2nd November 2007
France Remains Suspicious of Biotechnology
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently said he would allow no planting of genetically modified (GM) crops in France until they were evaluated by a new authority on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) set to be launched later this year.
Speaking at a national conference on the environment on 25 October, Sarkozy said “I don’t want to be in contradiction with EU laws, but I have to make a choice. In line of the precautionary principle, I wish that the commercial cultivation of genetically modified pesticide GMOs be suspended.” He added that this did not mean that no GMOs would be allowed in the future.
Sarkozy’s statement came as Europe is seeking to implement a WTO ruling against EU-wide and national moratoria on the approval of new biotech products (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 6 October 2006, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/06-10-06/story1.htm).
European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said a full ban on GM crops would clearly go against the rules and that France would lose in court if it implemented such a ban
The MON810 corn variety, produced by US-based biotech firm Monsanto, is the only biotech maize approved for cultivation in the EU. The corn is designed to resist the European corn borer, a pest that attacks maize stalks and thrives in warmer climates in southern Europe. In France, which has been notoriously sceptical of GMOs, only 1.5 percent of cultivated maize land was sown with GMO maize this year, but some farmers have supported the use GM crops to boost yields.
Several EU countries have banned the use of GM maize. Hungary, one of the EU biggest grain producers, banned the planting of MON 810 seed in January 2005. This year, Germany decided that maize produced from MON 810 seeds could only be sold with an accompanying monitoring plan for assessing environmental impacts. Austria is under pressure to lift regional bans on GMOs.
In a statement, US biotech company Monsanto said Sarkozy’s statement was “incomprehensible” and that its GMO technology helped fulfil environmental goals such as reducing pesticide use and economising on water.
In related news, the European Commission authorised three GM corn varieties and a GM sugar beet on 24 October after member states had failed to reach agreement on their approval (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 5 October 2007, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/07-10-05/inbrief.htm#4).
“France bans GM crops before evaluation”, ALLABOUTFEED.NET, 30 October 2007; “French Skepticism of GMO Crops Signals Policy Shift”, DEUTSCHE WELLE, 27 October 2007; “Monsanto Regrets Sarkozy Stance on GMOs”, REUTERS, 26 October 2007; “France Suspends Planting of GMO Crops”, PLANETARK, 26 October 2007; “EU Environment Chief Opposes Two GMO Maizes”, CHECKBIOTECH.ORG, 26 October 2007.
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