EU: EU environmental ministers allow member states to ban or approve use of GMO crops

EU environmental ministers (26 out of 28) backed a compromise deal on June 12 to allow member states the option to ban or approve the use of genetically modified crops, Euronews reported.

Under the proposal, the European Commission would retain the right to ban or approve any particular GM crop throughout the EU on the basis of a scientific assessment.

If agreed by the European Parliament, the proposal could potentially end years of indecision in the EU regarding GM cultivation.

Seven EU countries have already introduced their own ban.

A six-year, EU-wide ban on GMOs was lifted in 2004 by the European Commission, which insisted on strict traceability and labelling rules.

The US and Canada have previously challenged the bloc at the World Trade Organization over its reluctance to import and sell such products, arguing it was a barrier to free trade.

18 June, 2014