By Alex Pietrowski | WakingTimes
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)
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Read the full article at: wakingtimes.com
