European Commission plans to pass to individual member states the decision on whether they accept or ban the commercial cultivation of GM crops faced mounting opposition last night.
Its proposal, released earlier, was attacked from all sides of the GM debate as being the wrong way forward. Scotland’s farming leader said it could mean decisions on GM being taken on political whims rather than any scientific footing.
The suggested change in EC policy aims to unblock the paralysis in a GM approvals process that has seen only two commercial varieties – a maize and high starch potato – approved for planting in the EU in the last 12 years.
If backed by governments and the European Parliament, the proposal would give member states the freedom to allow, restrict or ban GM crops in either all or part of each of the 27 countries that make up the EU. That could mean more biotech crops in GM-friendly Spain and the Czech Republic, but let others opposed, including Austria and Italy, to ban them outright.
All applications for commercial GM crops have to be considered by the EC itself. Commissioners and farm ministers will remain responsible for approving all future GM varieties.
Anti-GM groups branded the proposal unacceptable. GM Freeze said it should be approached with extreme caution as it failed to provide any answers on protecting health and the environment from contamination. Spokesman Pete Riley added: “Unless all these issues are tackled, this hastily redrafted proposal should be rejected.”
Farming organisations said the plan did not go far enough. Several ministers said they were concerned at the EC dismantling what has been up to now been a common approach to GM.
Biotech companies had reservations too, saying the proposals would create uncertainty and disrupt Europe’s single market for agricultural goods, resulting in internal market disputes and legal challenges.
But the health and consumer policy commissioner, John Dalli, said: “The concrete measures adopted (by the EC) today will allow member states the freedom to decide on GM cultivation. Experience with GMs so far shows that member states need more flexibility to organise the co-existence of GM and other type of crops such as conventional and organic crops.”
But NFU Scotland said it was deeply concerned as the proposals did little to take the GM debate forward. President Jim McLaren said all they would do is provide greater opportunities for states to either reject or accept crops, essentially robbing Europe of its common position and create confusion.
Mr McLaren feared the proposals could hold back progress in establishing the role biotech might play.