Hungary to extend GMO ban

Hungary is one of the biggest European grain producers. Hungarian Farm Minister Jozsef Graf said it is in the country’s best interest to keep it GMO-free.

The country will extend its ban on growing genetically modified organisms (GMO-maize), government officials told the press recently.

Hungarian researchers recently found evidence that maize types freely traded in the European Union represent environmental and health hazards, according to Environment Ministry State Secretary Andras Gombos.

According to researchers, the toxic content of these types of maize in wet weather conditions can become thousands of times higher than traditional pesticides, Gombos observed.

Friends of the Earth of Austria welcomed the decision by the Austrian government to ban Monsanto’s GMO oilseed rape. This brings the total number of European bans on GM food to 12. The decision by the current EU presidency follows November’s referendum in Switzerland which put in place a five-year moratorium on growing GM crops and comes ahead of the WTO GM dispute ruling which will include whether countries are allowed to impose such bans.

The Austrian decision to ban Monsanto’s oilseed rape, GT73 is based on the risk of genetic contamination and the inadequate risk assessment carried out before the European Union authorized it for import in August 2005. This authorization came despite a majority of Environment ministries blocking its approval for environmental and health reasons.

Friends of the Earth campaigner Clare Oxborrow said: The Austrian decision to ban this GM oilseed reflects the growing frustration with EU’s undemocratic decisions to approve GM food oil seed.