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Brussels, Belgium
June 12, 2003
EuropaBio welcomes the
decision today in the Swiss
Parliament to reject the moratorium on GM crops. The Lower
House voted to reject the moratorium by 77:70.
This decision reflects an
about-turn by the Lower House to support the Upper House, which
last week overwhelmingly voted against any moratorium by a
majority of 29 to 6 votes.
In May this year, the Lower House
had originally voted in favor of a moratorium (83:78). This led
to the need to find a resolution between the two Houses.
Swiss parliamentary procedure
dictates that both Houses must reach consensus prior to
decisions becoming law.
"We applaud this decision, which
is a positive political move in Europe," said Simon Barber,
Director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at EuropaBio. "At long
last, we are beginning to see encouraging signals to support
this important technology."
EuropaBio, the European
Association for Bioindustries, has 35 corporate members
operating worldwide and 21 national biotechnology associations
representing some 1200 small and medium sized enterprises
involved in research and development, testing, manufacturing and
distribution of biotechnology products.
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Report from
Swissinfo with agencies
via Checkbiotech.org
Thursday, June 12, 2003
The Swiss parliament has thrown out a proposal to impose a
five-year moratorium on the use of genetically modified (GM)
crops. The issue is now expected to be put to a nationwide vote.
The House of Representatives followed the lead of the Senate
which said "no" to a moratorium last week, as part of a revision
of the country’s law on agriculture.
This was the second time the House had voted on the issue,
having previously come out in favour of a moratorium.
However, fears that a freeze would stifle Swiss research and
cost jobs saw parliamentarians reject the proposal by 77 votes
to 70 at the second reading. Economics minister Joseph Deiss had
earlier told the House that Switzerland could lose its
pre-eminent position in agricultural research. The Left and a
handful of right-wing parliamentarians led by the president of
the Swiss Farmers’ Union, Hansjörg Walter, failed to convince
their colleagues that a temporary ban would have no impact.
Upcoming vote
Parliamentarians also pledged to hold a proper debate on GM
crops ahead of a nationwide vote called in February by the Green
Party, environmental groups, farmers and consumer associations.
So far, 115,000 citizens have backed the initiative demanding
for a five-year moratorium - well above the 100,000 required to
force a poll. Thursday’s vote follows a previous decision by
parliament during a revision of Switzerland’s non-human gene
technology law to allow GM crops to be planted.
That decision heralded the end of Switzerland’s status as a
country free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However,
it is still not clear whether farmers will make use of the new
technology. Environmentalists have voiced concerns in the past
that parliament does not reflect the opinions of the Swiss.
Regular polls have shown consumers are opposed to GMOs on their
plate.
GM free
Switzerland is so far free of GM crops. Switzerland’s two
biggest retailers, Migros and Coop have refused to stock or sell
GMO products. Planned field trials of GM plants by Zurich’s
Federal Institute of Technology have also been at the heart of
an intense legal battle for over a year, because of fears that
crops could be cross-pollinated by GMOs.
Specialists warn this unavoidable, whether tests are carried
out in Switzerland or not. In March the country’s Federal Court
stopped an outdoor trial of GM wheat shortly before it was due
to go ahead. Judges said the environment ministry had not taken
into account the opinions and concerns of those opposed to the
tests, despite setting strict conditions.
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