Nothing Can Stop Mutant Crops (not even EU trade barriers)

Did you really think that a small corner of the world would remain protected from genetically-modified (GM) crops? Don’t be ridiculous!

The WTO has officially ruled in favor of the US in a dispute over the European Union’s (EU) moratorium on the importation of biotech crops. The EU deemed biotechnology unsafe, and banned the cultivation or importation of GM crops in 1998. This ban closed off a huge export market for producers of GM crops, and as you can imagine, made the producers very unhappy.

In 2003, the US, Canada and Argentina challenged the EU’s moratorium, claiming it was in violation of WTO trade rules and that there is no scientific evidence proving that biotech crops are unsafe. Happily, for GM crop producers, and sadly for the rest of us, the WTO is forcing the EU to drop its ban.

The EU has a 60 day window to appeal the decision and its overall ban remains in effect, but the region has already made some concessions by approving the sale and use of some GM products.

This case comes to a close just months after a batch of unnaproved GM rice managed to crawl its way out of US laboratories and into markets worldwide, prompting a few countries to ban all US rice imports.

Although the use of genetic engineering in food production is controversial and its long-term effects are largely untested, these crops are grown in several countries, including the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Australia, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Iran, Mexico, Paraguay, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Uruguay. Over 220 million acres of the stuff was planted in 2005 alone.

What ado? Buy local, sustainably-grown foods, and look for the USDA organic label for foods that aren’t grown in your local foodshed.

Sources:
EU crop biotechnology moratorium ruled illegal (Agriculture Online, 2006)
Rice ban, first Japan next the EU? (Food Production Daily, 2006)