This decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) arose from a legal challenge by an Italian farmer who planted Monsanto’s MON810 genetically modified maize despite a national ban. The farmer was subsequently ordered to destroy the crop and fined €50,000 ($58,940). Italian courts referred the case to the ECJ to clarify whether such bans violate EU law.
The ECJ upheld the legality of the current EU framework, in place since 2015, which allows member states to prohibit GMO cultivation without providing a specific justification, provided the authorisation holder does not object. It concluded that these bans are proportionate, non-discriminatory, and compatible with EU law, noting that they do not restrict the actual import or sale of GMO products. As a result, European consumers remain free to buy GMO-containing foods if they wish, while countries retain the right to restrict how and where such crops are grown.
To read how multinational pharma company Bayer admitted in 2019 that Monsanto, which it purchased for $63 billion in 2018, had been keeping ‘watch lists’ on its opponents in Europe, see this article on our website.
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News
European Union (EU) member countries are within their right to ban the cultivation of genetically modified crops in part or all of their territory, the EU’s top court has ruled.
[Source: reuters.com]
[Image source: Wikimedia]
Comment
This decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) arose from a legal challenge by an Italian farmer who planted Monsanto’s MON810 genetically modified maize despite a national ban. The farmer was subsequently ordered to destroy the crop and fined €50,000 ($58,940). Italian courts referred the case to the ECJ to clarify whether such bans violate EU law.
The ECJ upheld the legality of the current EU framework, in place since 2015, which allows member states to prohibit GMO cultivation without providing a specific justification, provided the authorisation holder does not object. It concluded that these bans are proportionate, non-discriminatory, and compatible with EU law, noting that they do not restrict the actual import or sale of GMO products. As a result, European consumers remain free to buy GMO-containing foods if they wish, while countries retain the right to restrict how and where such crops are grown.
To read how multinational pharma company Bayer admitted in 2019 that Monsanto, which it purchased for $63 billion in 2018, had been keeping ‘watch lists’ on its opponents in Europe, see this article on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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