Only four of the 27 European Union nations -- Britain, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden -- supported the EU Commission's bid to force the two member states to lift their GM ban.
These four rogue states were acting illogically, since EU ministers agreed unanimously on 4 December 2008 that national bans on GM crops would be respected; that GM risk assessment in the EU is not fulfilling legal requirements and must be improved; that long term impacts of GM releases have not been properly assessed; that independent scientific opinion should be taken into account; and that insecticidal GM crops such as MON810 maize should also be assessed under EU pesticide laws because of the toxins they release.
Speaking about UK environment minister Hilary Benn's betrayal of this agreement, Dr Brian John of GM Free Cymru said: "It beggars belief that Mr Benn should sign up for the unanimous statement by the EU's Environment Ministers on 4 December, and then vote with the Commission today. This is the second time this year that he has voted with the Commission for GMO releases, demonstrating either a lack of good faith or a very short memory. When are we going to get some joined-up thinking in DEFRA?"
Benn's vote also failed to reflect the views of the national assemblies/parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
http://www.greenpartyni.org/
+ ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THE VOTE
Links to multiple articles.
http://hejdagmo.se/2009/03/03/grattis-gmo-fria-osterrike-och-ungern/
"I just hope that [the pro-GM head of the EU Commission] Barroso will realise that the commission needs to change its position o[n] GMOs. It's completely unacceptable that essentially they keep trying to bulldoze through their pro-GM agenda in spite of public opposition and we know that a vast majority of citizens in just about all of the member states are not in favour of GMOs." - Caroline Lucas, Green MEP
http://tiny.cc/lswOy
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