France Bans GM Corn; Spain Objects
29 January 2008 France has prohibited the cultivation of genetically modified corn, according to Chemical Newsflash. Prime Minister François Fillon announced that the corn type MON810 from Monsanto — currently the only genetically modified corn in the country — may no longer be used due to health concerns. The government cited an EU protection clause that allows such interventions by Member States.
The French government bases its actions on the findings of a government committee which stated that genetically modified plants have a negative effect on the animal and plant kingdoms and spread more widely than had been assumed. However, a majority of the scientists on the committee rejected this study and accused its directors of manipulation.
Spain’s General Secretary of Agriculture, Josep Puxeu, was among those to criticize the decision. Puxeu declared that the Spanish position about GMOs always follows the one adopted within the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and rejected what he called “unilateral decisions” which that distort the international markets of grains, affecting countries like Spain.
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