GM soy, the European Parliament asks the Commision to oppose three import authorisations

GM soy, the European Parliament asks the Commision to oppose three import authorisations

Cibo e terra · ·

To prevent the risks of glyphosate, a carcinogenic herbicide used in transgenic crops, the European Parliament opposes the import of three GM soybeans.

FG72, MON 87708 x MON 89788 and MON 87705 x MON 89788: these are the three import authorisations of glyphosate-resistant GM crops that the EU deputies of the executive body would like to oppose in order not to have carcinogenic substances in food and animal feed.

 

In March 2015, the herbicide glyphosate, the world’s most used weed killer, was rated by the Agency for Cancer Research, a body of the World Health Organisation, as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.

 

gm soy glyphosate
The herbicide glyphosate was rated by the WHO as “possibly carcinogenic to humans. © www.geneticliteracyproject.org

 

“We cannot support the Commission’s current proposal to authorize three new genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to certain herbicides such as glyphosate. They could encourage the use of a herbicide that might cause cancer and have serious effects on human health”, the German S&D Group spokesperson on environment and health Matthias Groote declared.

 

The European Parliament also contests that GMOs are authorised without the approval of the Member States and points out that the European Commission itself is aware that, since the entry into force of the authorisation process, any decision on this matter has been taken without the acceptance of the majority of Member States.

 

gm soy animal feed glyphosate
The ingredients contained in animal feeds include GM soy.

 

“No more than 13 out of 28 EU Member States voted in favour of allowing the import of these GM soybeans into the EU, whilst an equal number has voted against”, president of Slow Food Germany Ursula Hudson said. “We urgently need a new authorisation mechanism as well as clear labelling for citizens to make informed choices”.

 

“The European Commission must respect the decision-making power of the Parliament”, highlighted Mute Schimpf of Friends of the Earth Europe, according to whom the current authorisation that devolves power to the executive body of the EU “is unfit for purpose”.

 

Franziska Achterberg of Greenpeace shares the same opinion. “The Parliament’s message is loud and clear: the Commission cannot carry on taking decisions on GM crops by itself, without the backing of EU governments, parliament and citizens”, she stated.

 

Tradotto da Francesca Clemente