Germany Bans Cultivation of GM Corn
April 15th, 2009Via: Der Spiegel:
Germany has banned the cultivation of GM corn, claiming that MON 810 is dangerous for the environment. But that argument might not stand up in court and Berlin could face fines totalling millions of euros if American multinational Monsanto decides to challenge the prohibition on its seed.
The sowing season may be just around the corner, but this year German farmers will not be planting gentically modified crops: German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced Tuesday she was banning the cultivation of GM corn in Germany.
Under the new regulations, the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn produced by the American biotech giant Monsanto, will be prohibited in Germany, as will the sale of its seed. Aigner told reporters Tuesday she had legitimate reasons to believe that MON 810 posed “a danger to the environment,” a position which she said the Environment Ministry also supported. In taking the step, Aigner is taking advantage of a clause in EU law which allows individual countries to impose such bans.
But that argument might not stand up in court and Berlin could face fines totalling millions of euros if American multinational Monsanto decides to challenge the prohibition on its seed.
A whole country (and a first-worlder, too!) might not be able to stand up to Monsanto. Yeah, that bodes real well for individual farmers. And the rest of us, for that matter.
“Massive” Crop Failure Of Monsanto GM Corn In South Africa
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message762397/pg1
On a related note, I recently watched the 2.5min intro to the new documentary Food, Inc. – it looks fantastic…
Official website here:
http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/