The French Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Sustainable Development issued a joint statement on the 3rd, refusing to accept the conclusions of the European Food Safety Agency on genetically modified corn.
The European Food Safety Agency said on June 30 that the agency’s scientists believe that the GM corn varieties of the US Monsanto Company are safe and will not cause harm to health and the environment. This conclusion implies that the European Commission may approve Monsanto GM maize to continue planting in Europe.
In response, the two French departments stated in the statement that the EU environment ministers unanimously passed a decision at the end of last year to request the revision of the European Food Safety Authority's assessment criteria and come up with a new plan in 2010. However, the Security Bureau this time The decision obviously did not take this into account. French Minister of Agriculture Bruno Lemer and French Minister of Sustainable Development Jean-Louis Boreau called on the Security Council to respect the decisions made by the Council of Ministers.
The two ministers also stated that Europe, France, Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, Germany, and Greece are still forbidden from planting genetically modified corn. The governments and people of these countries do not want to introduce genetically modified crops because of health and environmental concerns.
France has long been hostile to GM crops. Many French believe that although GM technology can increase crop yields or enhance crop resistance to diseases and insect pests, it may have adverse effects on the environment and human health. France also does not have any advantage in the cultivation and research of genetically modified crops, and therefore has consistently opposed the entry of new genetically modified products into the EU market. (Reporter Li Xuemei)