Poland Bans Genetically Modified Crops

January 8, 2013 | Filed under: Breaking News,Health,News,Politics | Posted by:

Alex Pietrowski, Contributor

The North-Eastern European country, Poland, has become the latest EU nation to ban the production of genetically modified (GM) crops, although, the European Food Safety Authority has approved GM crops as being safe for cultivation. Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture has opted to take advantage of a special ‘safeguard clause’ which allowed them to reject these GM crops, allowing Poland to protect their agricultural base from contamination.Recently, the European Union approved two GM crops for Europe, Monsanto’s MON810 Maize, and BASF’s Amflora Potato, however, Poland’s ban will take effect on January 28th.“To justify the enactment of these regulations, the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out to the impossibility of the coexistence of GM crops and the natural varieties, without the risk of contamination of the latter. The Ministry also draws attention to the threat of contamination of honey by pollen of maize MON 810 and the lack of research supporting the safety of GM crops on the environment and human health. From now on, a farmer who illegally sows MON 810 maize or Amflora potato may be levied with severe financial penalties and even with the destruction of his crop.” (GMWatch)

This is good news for opponents of genetically modified foods as their consumption has been linked to cancers and other health problems in labratory animals and in humans. Last year, Russia temporarily banned the production of several GM crops, but in the last week “Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare conducted its own safety assessment of NK603 and concluded that there were no adverse effects on humans.” (AGProfessional)

This is a small and perhaps temporary victory in the fight against franken-foods, but activists must remain steadfast and dedicated to stop the tidal wave of genetically modified crops, which rely much more heavily on boutique pesticides and herbicides than traditionally cultivated crops. And organizations working toward this goal, like GreenPeace, are quick to point out that we must remain vigilant so that the EU is not able to overturn this ban, and also that proper oversight is implemented to ensure that GM crops will be controlled effectively and that the ban is actually observed by local farmers.

Sources:

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Poland-latest-European-country-to-ban-GM-crops
http://www.agprofessional.com/news/Russian-ban-on-Monsantos-GM-corn-lifted-185927792.html
http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14552:poland-becomes-eighth-eu-country-to-ban-monsanto-maize 

Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com, and an avid student of Yoga and life.

Sources :

  1. Waking Times
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6 Responses to Poland Bans Genetically Modified Crops

  1. Slawek January 9, 2013 - 8:51 am

    Poland is in Central Europe not North-Eastern Europe.

    Reply
  2. Marilyn January 9, 2013 - 8:47 pm

    Great!! Sign pg Wisdom…..
    Good for you, Poland. stick to it….you will not regret!!

    Reply
  3. Janina January 12, 2013 - 10:00 am

    Everything would be fine except 2 things.
    First – this act bans only MON 810 and Amflora potato.
    Second – this act actually allows you to crop GM seeds on Poland territory ! (till now it wasn’t allowed – which was against UE rules)

    Thats why there were lot of protests on the day when the act was about to be signed and lot of polish non-governmental organizations were (and still are) AGAINST this act.

    This case isn’t as simple as it looks…

    Reply
  4. maaku February 8, 2013 - 9:50 pm

    Only MON 810 and Amflora potato is allowed in EU, apparently that’s why BASF, Syngenta and Monsanto are moving out from EU towards China and Asia. In Poland you can trade but not crop GM seeds.

    Reply
  5. Jim Christmas April 22, 2013 - 8:11 am

    We won’t see this in America, now that Obama has protected Monsanto and others alike within the recent H.R. 933.

    Reply