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INTL-GERMAN COALITION CAUTIOUSLY FAVOUR GM
26.oct.09, Source: Reuters
Michael Hogan
HAMBURG
Germany's incoming government drew mixed responses on Monday to its cautiously-favorable policy toward genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
The incoming coalition between the conservative and pro-business liberal parties which won Germany's parliamentary elections in September announced its core policies over the weekend which included a statement in overall favor of GMO crops if they are found to be safe.
Germany's ban on commercial production of GMO maize of type MON 810 imposed in April this year would remain in force and the new government would await the outcome of legal action against the ban by its producer, U.S. biotech giant Monsanto, the policy agreement from the new government said.
But the new government would support both commercial and research cultivation of the GMO potato Amflora developed by Germany's BASF. The previous government approved research trials only on Amflora earlier this year.
"Biotechnology presents an important future sector for research, business and agriculture which is already established worldwide," the agreement said. "So we want to use the potential of biotechnology which can be used responsibly."
Individual German state governments would be given more power to introduce their own rules compelling minimum gaps between GMO and non-GMO crops.
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