The cultivation of illegal crops (experiments with GMO potatoes
and plum-trees, the massive cultures of GMO Soya in the entire
country) (2), the black market of GMO seeds, the contamination
within processing plants and the illegal GMO food products on the
market (3) show that GMO Soya is completely out of control, even
though its cultivation has been banned since 1st January 2007, when
Romania joined the EU (4).
The 2006 plans of the Ministry of Agriculture were meant to
phase-out GMO Soya cultivation. In actual fact GMO Soya production
reached a massive 130.000 hectares (5), almost doubling the amount
planted in 2005 (85.000hectares).
The Romanian government's failure to take control has allowed
Monsanto to run riot over the country, contaminating their
environment, their food and their people.
The Romanian Government banned GMO Soya in January 2007, when
Romania entered the EU. Greenpeace, however, discovered large-scale
illegal commercial cultivation of the crop this year. The Romanian
authorities do not seem to be taking any control over illegal GMO
production.
Once GMOs are released into the environment they cannot be
contained, and contamination of conventional and organic fields
occurs. Greenpeace demands the, Romanian Government, and the
European Commission take urgent action to contain and decontaminate
the country from rogue GMOs and outlaw production of any GMOs in
the future.
GM maize cultivation a major risk for Romania
The 1st January 2007, the date Romania joined the EU, was also
significant because it meant that Romanian farmers could start
cultivating Monsanto's GMO maize (MON810), the only GMO authorised
for commercial cultivation within the EU.
It was unclear at the time of their accession to the EU, whether
the Romanian Government was going to allow MON810 cultivation, or
not. Prior to the growing season, Greenpeace urged the Romanian
government to ban MON810, based on the latest scientific, economic
and legal advice. Many EU member states have banned MON810, in
their countries to protect their agriculture, environment and
consumers and Greenpeace called on Romania to follow their lead
(6).
The Ministry of Agriculture recently informed Greenpeace that
there are 332 hectares of Monsanto GE maize (MON810) being grown
across six counties in Romania (7)
GMO legislation in Romania is extremely unclear, and there is
confusion as to the legal status of the GMO crops. The Community
law on GMOs, which would allow Romania to grow MON810, was only
introduced on the 28th June, after the growing season had
started.
The Ministry of Environment stated that, according to Romanian
law 214/2002, which applied at the time, they needed to be
officially informed by Monsanto, prior to planting of the MON810
seeds. Given that they received no notification this year, any GMO
cultivation is illegal (8).
However, the Ministry of Agriculture argues that it is legal.
They refused to provide Greenpeace with details of the locations of
the MON810 crops, on the grounds that it was confidential (9).
The vastly different opinions of the Environment and Agriculture
Ministries of the same government, expose just how chaotic and out
of control the situation is. The proliferation of unauthorised
GMOs, and lack of transparency about where they are will only
exacerbate the dangers posed to the environment, farmers, and
consumers.
Why GMOs are a threat to Romania:
GM Soya
Monsanto's Roundup Ready Soya
In the mid-1990s, Monsanto's Roundup Ready Soya was one of the
first GMOs to be commercialised. Rounup Ready Soya has been
genetically engineered to be tolerant to the herbicide, glyphosate
which is manufactured by Monsanto and sold under the name
Roundup.
Since its commercialisation, a series of irregularities and
unexpected effects with the Soya, have cast severe doubt on its
safety for the environment and for food and animal feed.
These include:
- The build-up of weed tolerance to the herbicide used with GMO
Roundup Ready Soya requires increasing amounts of herbicide and
more powerful herbicides to be applied.
- Roundup Ready Soya contains additional fragments of the genetic
insert; the crude genetic engineering method has caused
rearrangements of plant DNA, possibly producing unintended
proteins.
- There is also increasing evidence that Roundup Ready crops are
harming the environment where they are grown: the supposed
environmental benefits of the Soya such as reduced herbicide
application, and of the benign nature of the associated herbicide,
Roundup, have proved unfounded.
Instead, a series of negative effects on biodiversity are
emerging, such as; herbicide-tolerant weeds, toxicity and
persistence of glyphosate (Roundup), possible decline in plant
diversity. (11)
GM Maize
Threats to the environment and our health
Recent scientific literature clearly demonstrates the
environmental and health risks posed by the growth and consumption
of GMO Bt maize plants (10). Bt maize, like MON810, contains a gene
which produces a bacterial toxin to protect the plant from insects
such as the European corn borer.
The Austrian Ministry of Health recently published evidence of
possible unintended effects of the Bt toxin on organisms other than
the European corn-borer, such as butterflies. They also explain the
possibility that the corn-borer could develop resistance to the
toxin, which would reduce the crop's efficacy.
Further concerns include a lack of data on how Bt crop
cultivation affects other pests, that could also grow resistant to
Bt plants, and that this could lead to increased use of pesticides
in future. There is also considerable concern that Bt-toxins could
accumulate to concentrations that adversely affect soil
organisms.
In addition, there is crucial scientific controversy over the
safety of GMO crops for animals and humans. Unexpected and
unpredictable effects of GMO crops on animal and human health
cannot be excluded. (11)
A recent independent scientific study shows negative impacts
suffered by rats fed with GMO maize. The authors of the study
warned that it would pose a danger to human and animal health to
disregard the signs of toxicity in the liver and kidney of the test
animals. (12)
Contamination of GMO free maize and the end of organic agriculture
The risk of contamination from GMO maize to conventional and
organic maize is of major concern. Once released, GMO crops can not
be contained. Cross-Pollination, wind flow, harvesting and storage
pose very serious threats to Romania's current GMO free maize
crops.
Romania cultivates around three million hectares of maize every
year and is one of Europe's biggest producers of the crop.
Monsanto's GMO maize poses a serious threat to the genetic heritage
of the special varieties of maize adapted to cultivation conditions
in Romania. Moreover, the release of these new varieties of GMO
organisms into the environment will make it practically impossible
to produce certified organic maize, because the flow of genes
cannot be controlled. The Romanian authorities must refuse to
authorise cultivation of Monsanto MON810 GMO maize.
Economic problems for food industry
The absence of control measures, including testing, labelling,
monitoring and traceability, mean Romania is unable to respect EU
laws and requirements. Its agricultural exports and food products
could be banned from EU markets altogether, either because products
do not meet the EU standards regarding labelling and traceability,
or because they don't meet the demands of consumers, who reject GMO
food in most European countries.
According to the latest EU surveys, 62 per cent of Europeans are
worried about GMO food. The majority of Europeans thinks that GM
food should not be encouraged. GMO food is seen as morally
unacceptable and as risky for society. (13) As a consequence, the
majority of food and drink industries in the EU reject the use of
GMOs in their products. (14)
This consumer and market rejection could lead Romanian farmers
and major food industries to be shut out of the EU market.
Consumers don't have freedom of choice
The weak labelling laws mean the public is not aware that the
food they consume could contain GMOs. EU regulations on labelling
and traceability (1829/2003 & 1830/2003), already applicable in
Romania, are not properly enforced.
Greenpeace analysis of Soya food products bought from Romanian
supermarkets, showed is the food to be contaminated on a range of
61.2 to 97.3 per cent, with product labels failing to indicate that
they contain GMOs (15). The analysis shows that Romanians are
effectively being treated as guinea pigs for GMO food. Though the
Romanian authorities are clearly testing Soya food products
themselves, they are keeping the results secret (16).
A professional opinion poll (17) commissioned by Greenpeace this
August confirms that an overwhelming 67% of Romanians reject GMO
foods.
Greenpeace demands the Romanian Government apply the
Precautionary Principle, to ensure that proper measures are taken
to avoid contamination scandals in the future, and:
1. Immediately bans the import and cultivation of Monsanto's GMO
maize MON810 and its hybrids;
2. Takes immediate measures to decontaminate the environment and
the food chain from GMOs that have been illegally released into the
environment (such as Roundup-Ready Soya);
3. Stop GMOs entering the Romanian national seed catalogue;
4. Revoke all permits for the import and sale of GMO seed, for
field trials and commercial cultivation of GMO crops and destroy
any GMO seed already in Romania;
5. Put in place an efficient labelling system for food. This
requires traceability of all seeds or commodities that are GMOs or
contain GMO derivatives, from field to fork and, for imports, from
port of entry to plate.
6. Recognises the rights of Romanians to declare their region or
country a GMO free zone.
7. Provide support to organic farming, through education, public
procurement policies and by providing economic incentives.
Notes:
(1) Monsanto is the American company that created and owns 91%
of all the GMO seed in the world
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/genetix-crime-unit.pdf
(2) Greenpeace press releases 2005-2006
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_99.html
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_100.html
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_98.html
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_109.html
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_111.html
http://www.greenpeace.ro/medianet/archiv/national/story/story_112.html
(3) Greenpeace press release 06.11.2006
http://www.greenpeace.ro/home/story/story_184.html
(4) Ministry of Agriculture press release 03.02.2006
http://www.mapam.ro/pages/view_presa.php?id=1238&lang=2
(5) Ministry of Agriculture press release 31.08.2006
http://www.mapam.ro/pages/view_presa.php?id=2125&lang=2
(6) Austria, Poland, Hungary and Greece hold a ban on Monsanto
GE Maize (MON810)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/eu-unit/press-centre/policy-papers-briefings/national-bans-on-gmos.pdf
(7) Letter 278093 / 21.06.2007 from Ministry of Agriculture to
Greenpeace
(8) Letter Nr.122411 / 41635 / 16.05.2007 from Ministry of
Environment to Greenpeace
(9) Letter 178087 / 05.07.2007 from Ministry of Agriculture to
Greenpeace
(10) Ecological effects of genetically modified maize with
insect resistance and/or herbicide tolerance, Umweltbundesamt
(Federal Environment Agency of Austria)
http://www.bmgfj.gv.at/cms/site/detail.htm?thema=CH0255&doc=CMS1134457515326
Greenpeace Briefing, GE Insect Resistant Maize in Europe, an
unnecessary threat to wildlife and GE - Free choice, April 2006
(11) Environmental and health concerns of genetically engineered
crops in animal feed, Greenpeace Briefing Pack Sep 2005
(12) Seralini, G.E., et al, 2007, 'New Analysis of a Rat Feeding
Study with a Genetically Modified Maize Reveals Signs of
Hepatorenal Toxicity', published in Archives of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology 52, 596-602
(13) Eurobarometer Risk Issues Feb 2006 &
EurobarometerEuropeans and Biotechnology,June 2006,
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_en.htm#276
(14) No Market for labelled food in EU, Greenpeace Report
January 2005
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/european-markets-report-2005.pdf
(15) The analysis of the GMO components for food was undergone
at the Federal Environment Institute (Umweltbundesamt) in Vienna,
Austria. The report of the analysis no. M 0610/059 is available at
request.
(16) Romanian Food Safety Authority reply to Greenpeace
no.41328/20.09.2006: "Information regarding results of the analysis
can not be put at your disposal.
(17) The professional opinion poll was conducted by Mercury
research in June 2007 http://www.mercury.ro/profile/index.html
Greenpeace Romania
Web: http://www.greenpeace.ro/
Email: info@greenpeace.ro
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