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World|life|July 2, 2015 / 02:57 PM
Bill proposing nationwide ban on GM plants in Germany put forward

AKIPRESS.COM - GM food Five state governments in Germany are putting pressure on Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt, introducing a bill for a nationwide ban on GMOs instead of his “patchwork” proposal, EurActiv Germany reports.

Germany’s debate over banning genetically modified (GM) plants has come to a head: Green/Social Democratic coalitions in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein presented a bill on Tuesday proposing a nationwide ban on GM plants effective “in the entire sovereign territory”.

Agriculture Minister Schmidt is in a tight squeeze. Though he hopes to reject the cultivation of GM crops, Schmidt has left it up to German states to decide on a ban. “Now I expect the participants not to further set themselves in stone ideologically,” he said.

Green politicians, meanwhile, are concerned that the ban will create a patchwork system, resulting in GM-free states beside states allowing GM crops.

“Only with a nationwide regulation, will we be able to ensure freedom from GMOs in the food supply chain,” explained Schleswig-Holstein’s Environment Minister Robert Habeck.

“The German government must finally take the population’s concerns seriously, act quickly and finally provide clarification,” said North Rhine-Westfalia’s Environment Minister Johannes Remmel.

“With this bill, we intend to maintain our GM-free agriculture in Germany,” explained State Agriculture Minister Ulrike Höfken from Rhineland-Palatinate.

“Whether it be seeds or honey, all of conventional and ecological agriculture, the grocery chain and our environment must be protected from GM contamination,” she warned. But to do this, Höfke pointed out, a national ban is needed.

The agriculture ministers are relying heavily on a legal assessment which was published at the end of June. The report concludes that a nationwide, uniform ban on GM plants would be more stable.

Meanwhile, the bill drafted by agriculture ministers from the Green Party is intended to be introduced in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, on 10 July. At that point, the committees will look over the text before it is put to a vote.

Though the five proposers only have 26 of the 69 Bundesrat votes, the chamber of states could join with red-green governments of Hamburg and Bremen (each with 3 votes) as well as the red-red-green government in Thuringia (4 votes) to impose the issue on the Bundestag.

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