Aug 24, 2006

Coexistence

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National coexistence rules

Switzerland

According to the amended Genetic Engineering Act of January 2004, the cultivation of GM crops must be regulated in a way that safeguards conventional farming against GMO contamination.

The Federal Office for Agriculture had drafted coexistence rules that were submitted to a public hearing at the beginning of October 2005. Because of the moratorium on genetic engineering, which a majority of Swiss were in favour of in a referendum held at the end of 2005, in June 2006 the Federal Department of Economic Affairs put the bill on hold for the time being. The issue will be discussed further only after the ban on genetic engineering in Swiss agriculture expires on 27 November 2010. In the meantime, a national research programme – “Benefits and risks of the release of genetically modified plants” – is to provide new findings, including in the area of coexistence.