Warsaw, Poland
February 26, 2007
USDA/FAS GAIN report PL
7011
Report highlights
The Polish Parliament
recently held a biotech conference that highlighted the
strong antibiotech bias in the Polish government. But, it
also offered an opportunity for farmers to demand they be
permitted to use biotech crops. Their comments support
Post’s position that Polish farmers are the key to eventual
cultivation and acceptance of biotech products in Poland.
On February 15, 2007, the Polish
Senate Agricultural Committee and the Ministry of Environment
organized a conference titled “GMO – A Chance for the
Development of Polish Agriculture? – Facts and Myths”.
Representatives of Sejm and Senate, as well as regional and
local authorities, scientists, non-governmental organizations,
farmers, and journalists were invited to participate.
Five speakers spoke forcefully
against biotech. The Minister of Environment Szyszko, long a
biotech opponent, spoke against biotech use in agriculture and
food processing and advocated a very cautious approach towards
biotech research. The possible harm biotech use could cause to
Polish biodiversity was his main argument. Asked about the
Rospuda Valley case, he said the valley was created by humans 30
years ago and has the potential to regenerate after the highway
is completed. (The GOP has approved highway construction through
a nature reserve, despite EC warnings that the project violated
EU environmental obligations and a growing local opposition.)
Several other speakers who spoke
against biotech did not appear knowledgeable about the issue.
For example, some said that biotech products caused obesity and
diabetes in highly developed countries like the United States.
Some claimed that biotech foods cause cancer. They also argued
that biotech products are unhealthy while organic products are
very healthy and said that organic production is the future of
Polish agriculture. They also claimed that only the biotech
companies are doing research, so it is not surprising that the
results are always positive. Regional authorities from Poznan
and Warsaw said they have banned biotech cultivation at the
request of their constituents and accused the USDA of not
undertaking thorough research. The Greenpeace representative
presented a box containing signatures from EU citizens opposed
to biotech.
Farmers argued forcefully for the
right to use biotech crops. They explained that corn borer and
rootworm infestation in Poland is spreading so fast that biotech
is the only acceptable choice farmers have, if the want to
remain in business. (Reportedly, 30-50% of cornfields are
infested with the corn borer or rootworm.) They said they could
use more chemicals, accept lower yields, stop farming and start
importing corn from neighboring countries, such as Germany and
the Czech and Slovak Republics, immigrate to those countries to
earn a living,
or use biotechnology. Representatives from the Institute of
Plant Breeding and Acclimatization and the National Corn
Producers Association said that the corn borer also is a threat
to organic farmers. Farmers insisted that they should have the
right to choose what they grow and said that they would be
willing to accept strict regulations, if that is what is
required to grow biotech crops in Poland. They also requested
that the government support
biotech research.
The Ministry of Health
representative said that there is no proof biotech foods cause
any harm to human health. He said that diabetes and obesity are
caused by our way of life, lack of exercise and poor eating
habits. He did note that in some cases, biotech products can
cause allergies, but pointed out, so can other products, and
that we should not generalize.
(Comment: The conference was
billed as an opportunity to discuss the future of biotechnology
in Poland. But, from the list of speakers, it is clear that it
was organized to provide a forum for biotech opponents to
influence elected officials prior to an upcoming vote on new
biotech legislation. Nevertheless, some scientists and farm
representatives were able to present some strong arguments in
favor of biotech use in Poland. The comments from farmers were
especially interesting and give hope that farmers can influence
the final decision. Interestingly, media coverage was not very
impressive.) |
|
