News | Sunday, 07 March 2010

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Malta insists on right of member states to decide on GMOs

James Debono
The government is refraining from taking a stand on European Commissioner John Dalli’s decision to approve a genetically modified potato variety, Amflora, for cultivation in the EU.
But the government is insisting that EU member states should have the right to decide whether GMO crops, or so called ‘frankenfoods’ are grown or not in their territory.
Dalli has come under heavy fire from environmentalists after he lifted a 12-year ban on the cultivation of Amflora potatoes. Dalli said the risk of the potato spreading the genetic material to other varieties was limited. But Greenpeace said the GM potato contained a gene that conferred resistance to certain antibiotics and warned it could pose a risk to both human and animal health.
In July 2009 at a European council meeting for environment ministers, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino had already questioned the current EU process to authorise the cultivation of GMOs, and called for a new process that would allow member states a freer hand in deciding on these matters at a local level.
On that occasion, Pullicino stressed that decisions would be able to factor in local specificities, allowing European citizens to better understand the decisions.
But when asked by MaltaToday to state Malta’s position on Dalli’s controversial decision to reverse a 12-year ban on Amflora, a spokesperson for Pullicino insisted such questions referred to MEPA – the entity regulating GMOs in Malta.
Pullicino’s silence contrasts with the very vocal opposition of Italian minister Luca Zaia, who not only reiterated his firm opposition to the Commission’s decision but also announced that Italy will invoke the safeguard clause to block the marketing and cultivation of GM products in its territories.
A spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday that while the government recognised that the EU’s GMO policy “is based on robust scientific risk assessments”, member states should have “the right to decide on whether authorised Genetically Modified crops should be cultivated within their territory.”
The MEPA spokesperson said that although GM crops that have been approved by the European Commission may now be cultivated throughout the EU, member states may still prohibit such cultivation “if there is evidence of a potential risk to biodiversity.”
Moreover, cultivation within or in the vicinity of protected Natura 2000 sites may require an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Directive.
Any farmer wishing to cultivate GM crops in Malta must obtain permission from MEPA. “Any such application must also be covered against environmental liability that may ensue from uncontrolled release or damage to sensitive areas”.
Malta has no objection to the importation in Malta of by-products from GMO crops such as animal feed. “Food and feed produced from authorized varieties of Genetically Modified Organisms may be imported into Malta provided such products are labelled in accordance with EC law.”

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