Corporate Greed and Disregard for Food Safety and Biodiversity: Food Sovereignty Should Not be Handed Over to the GMO Biotech Conglomerates | Global Research
After a four-year legislative battle, the
European parliament has granted member states the ability to decide for
themselves whether or not they want to allow crops of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) on their soil. Writing in The Parliament Magazine, Member of the European Parliament Marc Tarabella notes that the wishes of several pro-GMO lobbies, led by several multinationals and Britain, did not prevail [1].
A legal basis was obtained for allowing member
states to ban the implementation of GMO crops and an extension of the
list of motives for this. The goal to avoid contamination of traditional
crops by GMO crops was also strengthened.
In 2010, a Eurostat study found that 59 per cent of Europeans think
GMOs are dangerous [2]. It is the responsibility of the European Food
Safety Authority to therefore address such concerns and properly assess
the dangers of GMOs. However, as Tarabella notes, the EFSA’s
track record is worrying. Several former members of food-processing
industry lobbies have been nominated as EFSA officials.
Between 1998 and 2010, out of the 125 import authorisation requests
submitted to the commission, other than six applications that were
withdrawn by manufacturers themselves, none were denied. Tarabella states that as the EFSA is responsible for the food safety of half a billion citizens, it
is perfectly within our rights to expect it to be neutral, upright and
trustworthy. The EFSA is though riddled with conflicts of interest [3].
