Warsaw, Poland
March 11, 2009
USDA/FAS GAIN report PL 9005
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200903/146327415.pdf
Report Highlights:
This report offers a look
at the legal deficiencies in Poland's new draft cultivation
law. December 19, 2008, Poland sent the draft to the EU
Commission for comment; the Commission has until l March 20,
2009, to comment on the proposal. The draft law attempts to
comply with EU regulatory authorities but contains
provisions which will prevent planting GMO crops in Poland.
The Ministry of Environment continues its radical approach
by naming environmental lobby groups to its expert panels
and excludes companies or farm lobbies unless they come from
Poland's tiny organics industry. On February 25, 2009,
Poland voted in Brussels against approval of Pioneer
Hi-bred’s 1507 and Syngenta’s Bt11 corn for cultivation,
continuing its non science based approach to block entrance
of new biotechnology events in the EU. Both varieties are
resistant to the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis),
which costs Polish corn producers $400 million worth of crop
each year.
On February 25, 2009, at the EU
Regulatory Committee (DG Environment) vote on approval of
Pioneer Hi-bred International’s 1507 and Syngenta’s Bt11 corn
for cultivation Poland again voted “no”, continuing its
unscientific approach to block entrance of new biotechnology
events in the EU. Both varieties are resistant to the European
corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), which costs Polish corn
producers $400 million every year.
As reported in GAIN PL8032,
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200812/146306641.doc on
November 18, 2008, the Polish Council of Ministers adopted a new
decision setting Polish policy regarding genetically modified
organisms ("GMOs"). The decision allows research on GMOs in
"closed systems," but reasserts Poland's intention to remain "a
country free of GMOs." The decision also declares that in EU
voting, in every case the Polish government will vote against
allowing planting of GMOs whether for food, animal feed or other
products.
On December 19, 2008, Poland notified to the EU Commission of
the proposed text of its new law on genetically modified
organisms. The Commision has until March 20, 2009, to comment on
the received proposal. The law attempts to comply with EU
regulatory authorities that have told Poland it must update its
GM law, but the Ministry proposal creates new obstacles designed
to prevent planting, not solutions.
Some of the most important obstacles, included in the proposed
law, that could prevent cultivation of GMO plants in Poland
include:
- The law sets up a
commission to set policy and recommend approval of rules.
This Commission is to be composed of 18 members appointed by
the Minister of Environment that includes a representative
from the environmental lobbies, but does not include any
farm groups except from the organics industry. This
provision guarantees that all recommendations on GMO will be
negative. An environmental lobby representative at a recent
Ministry of Environment conference of experts (that included
only negative speakers on GMOs) called for Poland to no
longer plant corn, saying that Polish farmers should plant
only natural European plants such as carrots. (NOTE:
Potatoes were introduced into Europe in the 16th century
from South America just like corn and so don’t qualify for
growing in Poland). These groups call for a return to the
use of draft animals by farmers and want pesticides’ and
fertilizers’ use limited or abandoned. They regard the
organics industry as supreme, ignoring that this industry
derives 80 percent of its profit from EU subsidies and
represents less than 2 percent of farm production in Poland.
- The proposed regulation
includes provisions for creation of GMO free zones,
including the following provision: “A Regional Inspector,
with the purpose of limiting the spill-over of genetically
modified plants onto other farming, may prohibit the user,
referred to in Article 4(19)(f) of the Genetically Modified
Organisms Act, … by way of administrative decision, from
farming, sowing or planting given plants in a determined
area.” Such provision could result in regional level
authorities creating a major obstacle to farmers wanting to
plant GMO crops even if local authorities approve them.
Poland’s Ministry of Environment
and Polish EU Parliament members have been very active in
creating and advocating to other member states for EU wide bans
of GMO crops and creation of GMO free zones. Poland represents
one of Europe’s most active governments against the adoption of
agricultural biological science worldwide. Such activities will
strengthen the negative voting process at the EU level;
preventing EU farmers from having access to this modern
technology and slowing down adoption of the crops to fight food
supply problems in
the developing world.
Source:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200903/146327415.pdf
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