25/02/2011 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The PACE Environment Committee warned this morning that the risks linked to GMOs in the farming and food sector are numerous and serious and called for the technology to be used responsibly.
The draft resolution adopted on the basis of proposals by the rapporteur, Jean-François Le Grand (France, EPP/CD), underlines that many uncertainties remain as to the consequences of the horizontal transfer, by viruses, of genetic materials from GM crops.
The text therefore recommends the introduction of regulations to define good agricultural practice where the production and use of GMOs are concerned.
The draft resolution also calls for the cultivation of GMOs containing antibiotic-resistance marker genes to be banned and for studies to be conducted to clarify the impact of the possible transfer of genes from GM crops to human beings.
In conclusion, the text recommends that the EU guarantee the right of its member states to decide whether or not to cultivate genetically modified plants and, “if such cultivations exist, to establish GMO-free zones”.
The Assembly will vote on the draft resolution at its next meeting (at Standing Committee level) in Paris on 11 March 2011.