Jun 26, 2006

Archive

Send

Seehofer postpones amendments to the Genetic Engineering Act

Genetic Engineering Act: Still need for debate

Horst Seehofer, the German agriculture minister, has once more postponed the amendment to the Genetic Engineering Act agreed in the coalition agreement. In an interview with the German Press Agency on the 23 June 2006 he announced that he would not present his proposals in Parliament until after the summer break. Basic amendments to the liability regulations associated with the cultivation of genetically modified plants are clearly off the agenda.

Opinions differ in the coalition and also within the CDU/CSU, particularly with regard to the cultivation rules for GM plants and the regulations to safeguard the coexistence of different agricultural systems with and without genetic engineering.

Just like CSU General Secretary Markus Söder, who recently spoke out in favour of a moratorium on the commercial use of GM plants, Seehofer too sounds cautious. The Minister said that he has a lot of sympathy for supporters of GM-free zones, but nonetheless it was not possible to ban genetic engineering, since that would be in breach of European law.

Seehofer spoke in favour of strict safety standards and clear distances between fields with GM and conventional plants.

Compensation fund comes unstuck

Seehofer announced that current liability regulations for GMO contamination of conventional neighbouring fields would remain in place. “If a farmer can be proved guilty, he must pay compensation. If a guilty party cannot be found, then all growers are liable. However, many seed manufacturers have stated that they are prepared to adopt the risks of the farmers on a voluntary basis”, Seehofer told the Berliner Zeitung. The compensation fund suggested in the coalition agreement is therefore clearly off the agenda. “In the autumn we will make an association agreement with industry and farmers. We aim to follow the Dutch model.” Seehofer welcomed the fact that companies were willing to “solve this issue on their own responsibility”.

According to Seehofer, the planned rules of good farming practice in the cultivation of GM plants are to be drafted in such a way that “liability is the absolute exception”. A distance of 150 m between GM and conventional fields of maize is under discussion.

There are to be no amendments to the site register. Information about areas where GM crops are grown will remain accessible to the general public, with precise plot coordinates given.

Field trials: Promoting research

Seehofer aims to “speed up and promote” research into genetically modified plants. “There are many unresolved questions relating to the safety and use of GM plants. We should not remain in ignorance waiting for other countries like China to provide us with the answers. This applies not just to laboratory research, but also to work in the field.” In this context Seehofer argued in favour of improving the basic conditions for research. He explained that he had put forward a proposal, which will also be considered after the summer break.

How to assess individual adventitious GMO outcrossings in field trials remains particularly controversial. In the case of field trials with new GM plants still awaiting full authorisation, the authorities normally issue restrictions and measures to prevent adventitious outcrossings or dispersal by animals. However, in open biological systems individual GMO outcrossings cannot be completely ruled out.

Seehofer apparently aims to alleviate this problem. Currently the legal and financial implications of genetic material from GM crops appearing outside the trial area despite all the safety restrictions are incalculable for those responsible for field trials.