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The Spanish regulation on coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops could serve as a model
September 15, 2005

Source: AGRA Presse / Le Figaro
Translated by Katharina Schoebi, Checkbiotech

On July 19, the Spanish government published a royal decree that regulated the coexistence of genetically modified, conventional or organic crops. It marks the desire of the Zapatero government to strictly control GM crops in Spain, in contrast to the Aznar administration - which was less strict, with laws comparable to the United States, where GM crops do not have a special status.

There is good reason to bet that French regulations will be influenced by the Spanish laws. Actually, this is the only country in Europe that cultivates GM crops on a large scale (80.000 hectares of GM maize in 2005), and it is where French experts, in particular from Inra (http://w3.inra.fr/), have studied the risk cross-contamination by GM crops for several years. Since observing Spanish GM field trials, the French have been constructing practical models.

Spanish regulations

To start in future, the Spanish farmer - willing to cultivate GM crops - needs to warn the authorized authorities one month in advance and has to specify the variety and the introduced gene in the culture of interest. The farmer must adhere to specific rules for the preparation of the seed, the surveillance of fields, and the cultivation of the harvest. A security distance of 50 meters has to be kept between the fields of GM crops and other crops. The seeding period of the GM crops has to be declared compared to conventional varieties in order to prevent cross-pollination during blossoming. In addition, a buffer area of four rows of conventional maize, that is labeled as GMO, has to surround the GM field. In the case of maize resistant to the leaf-folder, 20 percent of the GM parcel has to be sown by conventional maize to hinder the development of resistance to the insect.

Additional regulations

The farmers must participate in education programs concerning GM cultivation. If a variety is deemed to be a source of contamination, it could be cancelled from the national register. Finally, the authorized persons from a region are charged with supervising whether the measures are well met.

© SIAC 2005

AGRA Presse / Le Figaro via Checkbiotech

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