The ban in Germany of GM maize from Monsanto is another defeat for the European Commission which campaigns for the lifting of all bans on MON810 in the EU. After Austria, France, Greece, Hungary, and Luxembourg, Germany announced on April 14 that it would suspend cultivation of Monsanto’s genetically-modified maize called MON810.
Minister of Agriculture Ilse Aigner justified the decision by stating the possibility that the GMO seed produced by the US agro-industrial giant Monsanto can be dangerous to the environment by harming non-target species. “his is not a political decision. It was taken in the interest of the environment. We conducted a rigorous study to weigh the pros and cons,” Aigner announced at a press conference.
The minister explained the country’s decision via ‘scientific evidence’ in two new studies which also led Luxembourg to take a similar decision in late March. In 2008, 4,000 hectares of transgenic maize were grown in Germany, and 3 crops on 700 hectares had been authorized for 2009, representing approximately 0.2% of the corn grown in the country. The MON810 is the only GMO grown in the EU. It was approved in 1998 for a duration of ten years. The renewal of this authorization is now being evaluated.
The European Union member countries rejected on March 2 the lifting of the prohibition on the culture of Monsanto genetically-modified corn (MON810).
Via BBC
