News

GMO bans on in Poland, off in Russia

Poland has become the eighth European Union member who wants to ban the cultivation of genetically modified crops approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). FESA had cleared Monsanto’s MON810 maize and BASF’s Amflora potato but individual E.U. nations can ban cultivation if they can prove it would be harmful.

The Polish Agriculture Ministry says there is the possibility of cross-pollination with non-gm crops and that the pollen from the maize could make its way into honey. Poland must submit scientific justification for the ban to the European Commission.

The seven countries with a ban are Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg and Greece.

BASF withdrew their Amflora potato from the market last January choosing to focus on less-restrictive markets.

Meanwhile, Russia has lifted its ban on Monsanto’s glyphosate-tolerant NK603 maize. The ban was put in place last September after a French researcher claimed the Roundup-Ready corn and Roundup herbicide caused cancer in rats. The study was quickly dismissed by EFSA and others but Russia decided to temporarily ban the maize while they conducted their own tests. Those tests found no adverse effects on human health from the use of the product.