Apr 11, 2008

News

Send

Following heated discussions

French parliament approves new Genetic Engineering Act

On Wednesday the French parliament approved a new Genetic Engineering Act. The bill, which was adopted by 249 votes to 228, creates a long-awaited legal framework for the cultivation of genetically modified plants in France, thereby implementing the EU Deliberate Release Directive which came into force in 2001. The week-long debate in the National Assembly was accompanied by internal bickering among the ranks of the centre-right government and sharp criticism from the opposition, which pushed through several amendments to the original draft. The new act will receive its second reading in the Senate on 16 April.

Jean-Louis Borloo , the French environment minister, stressed that the aim of the act was not to determine as a matter of principle whether GM plants could be used or not. This decision ultimately rested with the European Union.

Revolt amongst the ranks: State secretary for the environment Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet provoked outrage from her own majority party when she said in an interview with Le Monde that she was sick of confronting an “army of wimps”. She had signalled her approval of the opposition’s motions for amendment and had been reprimanded for it.

For five days delegates of the French National Assembly grappled with the draft of the new national genetic engineering legislation. The act aims to provide the legal framework for the use of genetically modified organisms. This includes research projects involving GMOs, the commercial cultivation of GM plants and coexistence with conventional and organic crops.

During the course of the parliamentary debate, the delegates had to consider 479 proposed amendments to the original wording, which provoked heated debate. Agricultural minister Michel Barnier was accused of being too dependent on the seed industry. The Greens and those on the left demanded the release of violent GM opponents, but ultimately failed to achieve this.

However, an amendment to severely restrict the use of GM plants met with majority approval: whilst the original draft required only that they be grown with “consideration for the environment and public health”, transgenic plants may now be cultivated only with due consideration for agricultural structures, regional ecosystems and GM-free production lines. The opposition described this as a “political victory” over the right-wing majority party, the UMP (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire). Four delegates from the ruling majority parties approved the amendment, in addition to the Socialists, Communists and Greens.

Legal framework for genetic engineering long overdue

From the Socialists’ point of view, the act, in its current form, creates a legal basis for keeping genetic engineering out of certain regions of France. In addition, penalties for the deliberate destruction of fields of genetically modified plants will be tightened. In future fines of 75,000 to 155,000 euros and up to three years imprisonment will be imposed.

GM opponents such as Greenpeace and France Nature Environnement criticise the bill for legalising an environmentally damaging technology. They welcome the amendments pushed through by the opposition, but at the same time describe them as purely “cosmetic tinkering” of an act which will benefit “a handful of industrialists”. Environment minister Jean-Louis Borloo stressed however, that the aim of the act was not to determine as a basic principle whether GM plants should be used or not. This decision rested ultimately with the European Union. Rather, the act should create a legal framework for the use of GMOs and related concerns. Agro-biotechnology in France had not been regulated by law for 10 years, despite the fact that the European Union has been asking member states since 2001 to formulate their own legislation.

High Council for Biotechnology

The delegates also discussed the structure of the expert committee which in the future will issue statements on all issues related to genetic engineering and will deal mainly with the safety assessment of GM plants. The “Haut Conseil des Biotechnologies”, which was provisionally set up last autumn, is to consist not only of natural scientists, but should also consider economic, social and ethical aspects and include experts in these fields. In January the provisional council compiled a report on the basis of which the government has now prohibited the cultivation of MON810 maize.