France Asks EU to Suspend GM Crop Authorisation

February 22nd, 2012

Does anyone know what the French government means by, “Significant risks for the environment”?

Via: AFP:

France’s ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies.

The request is “based on the latest scientific studies” which show that the use of the GM crops “pose significant risks for the environment,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry pointed to a recent study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that raised concerns with another form of GM crop, BT11, that it said could also be applied to MON 810.

“If the European Union does not act, we can invoke the safeguard clause” which allows EU nations to independently restrict or prohibit the sales of products, it said.

3 Responses to “France Asks EU to Suspend GM Crop Authorisation”

  1. soothing hex says:

    Translated from L’Âge de Faire, February 2012 :

    [quote]

    Will or won’t outlaw ? The government has announced that it will take a new measure to ban the GM corn MON 810. This is playing for time : a decision will be signed at the end of february, just before sowing starts. Before Brussels can challenge this new text, “it will be too late to cultivate MON 810 for the 2012 season” as explains the weekly newspaper Politis. “This tactical trick serves Nicolas Sarkozy, who’s supposed to declare his candidacy to the presidential election at that time”.

    This calendary trick is neither the most efficient nor the most sustainable way, is denouncing Confédération Paysanne. Rather, to push for the ban of MON810, the union [of farmers] advices to play on the risk of contamination of beehives, GMO-tainted honey not being authorized by the European Union. But maybe the government doesn’t want to cut all bridges with pro-GMO lobbies ? As the suspense is made to last, the sale of MON810 seeds is not forbidden. Who will then control the farmers who bought them when it’s time to sow ?

    [/quote]

  2. tal says:

    The latest studies making waves are these two:

    http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ithaka-journal.net%2Fherbizide-im-urin&lp=de_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

    http://www.testbiotech.de/en/node/620

    This site provides links or abstracts to a few more:

    http://www.gmwatch.eu/component/content/article/13631

    This is after the EFSA leaned on the Austrian government to withdraw a 2008 feeding study showing reduced fertility & gene disregulation in GM-fed mice:

    http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GmMaizeReducesMiceFertility.php

  3. tal says:

    Speaking of “significant risks for the environment”, I’m assuming you are aware of Don Huber’s letter to Tom Vilsack warning about a “newly identified pathogen linked to the herbicide Roundup”:

    http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/02/retired-profs-letter-raises-roundup-concerns/

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