Russia to lift ban on GMO foods
declared that its research into GM organisms in foods suggest that
current legislation is too harsh and that restrictions on the sale
of such foods in Russia should be lifted. The suggestion comes hot
on the heals of the EU's decision to legalise GM maize.
Speaking at a seminar held in Moscow earlier this week, First Deputy Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Mikhail Kirpichnikov said: "The system for regulation, creation and production of genetically-modified organisms should be based on scientific knowledge rather than on emotional perception of these products," Tass News agency reports. He added that the Ministry was now considering "enlarging the list of licensed transgenic foods that are non-hazardous to people's life and health".
Currently, Russian authorities have banned the development of GMOs on Russian soil, but allow their importation and marketing. However, many observers believe that the aggressive marketing of GM crops by American biotech companies, coupled with low awareness of the hazards associated with foods containing GMOs amongst the general public, means that the government's proposal is likely to be highly plausible.
Also fuelling the call to drop restrictions is a softening of the stance from the European Union, which has now agreed to regulate certain GM crops. Many believe that unless Russia joins the growing number of international countries growing GM crops, it will lose out to increasingly stiff competition from foreign imports.
Currently, Russia has licensed 11 genetically modified agricultural products for importation and sale within the country. The crops include soya bean, sugar-beet, maize and potato which have all been recognised as harmless to health.
