“Massive Wave” Of European Countries Now Banning GMOs

Map – Wikipedia – lic. under CC 3.0 “Non GMO” graphic © Aquir – fotolia.com (under license)

In an astonishing move to protect the health of their citizens, one European country after another is banning GM crops completely.

Austrian and Italian health ministries have now confirmed that there will now be a full ban on GM crops in both countries. Austria’s demand was delivered to the European Commission earlier this week.

But they aren’t the only ones. Seven other European nations – Northern Ireland, Greece, France, Scotland, Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia – are all following the same path.

Under a new European Union law signed in March individual countries can seek geographical exclusion from any approval request for GM cultivation across the EU. While the European Commission is responsible for the approval process, requests to be excluded also have to be submitted to the company making the application i.e. Monsanto for its GM Maize MON810 – which is currently the only GM crop that has been approved in Europe.

The message from these nine European nations is crystal clear: We don’t want your GMO crops in our countries, thank you very much.

European countries have recognized that the benefits or protecting public health, biodiversity and the environment outweigh any potential commercial benefits that may be associated with GM food.

France has a long history of vigorous opposition to GMOs.

This is the latest in a string of “bad news for Monsanto” events as its roundup chemical glyphosate has now been listed as a “probable carcinogen”, in addition to rumors flying that they have deliberately hidden negative health effects of glyphosate from public view.

Glyphosate has already been banned or strictly limited in the Netherlands, Bermuda and Sri Lanka. In 2014 France banned its use in gardens. Brazil, Germany, and Argentina are now considering bans. And this month, California’s environmental protection agency launched plans to label Roundup as a carcinogen.

It’s amazing to see considerations of public health being put first – as they should be.