It seems that Germany is the next in line to prohibit the growing of genetically modified crops under new European Union rules, reports Reuters.
Germany’s Minister of Agriculture Christian Schmidt has announced to German state governments of his plans to inform the EU that Germany will be employing the new “opt-out” rules to stop GMO crop cultivation in the country.
Christian Schmidt. Image Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture (Flickr)
New European Union law approved in March of this year, opened the gates for new GMO crops to be approved after years of deadlock. But the law gave individual countries the right to opt out should they so choose.
Thai FDA lawyers Chaninat and Leeds have assisted clients in registering pharmaceuticals, food supplements, medical devices, and cosmetics with the Thailand Food and Drug Administration.
GMO crops are widely used in Asia and the Americas, although opinion is divided in Europe. Scotland recently announced GMO crops were to be banned, and debate continues in Thailand as to its safety.
Countries have until Oct. 3, 2015, under EU rules, to inform the Commission that they wish to opt out of new EU GMO cultivation approvals.
German state authorities will need to agree by September 11th whether the region should be included in the opt-out.
In the United States, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would prevent states from enacting labeling laws for GMO’s. The bill also states that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would need to approve GMO crops before being sold, in a similar way to how it handles prescription drugs. However this has caused outrage among some.
For the full Germany story, see here.
To read interesting assessment of the GMO debate, read this Foodtank article.
If you are interested in GMO’s in Thailand, this video may interest you:
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