February 12, 2008

 

Spain shelves plans to ban Monsanto's GM corn

 

 

Spain refused to ban GM crop despite recent decision of France to outlaw the production of MON180 which was reported to pose potential dangers to human health.

 

Previous reports indicate that cross-pollination between the controversial corn and other crops could pose serious threat to human health.

 

The strain, which was produced by Monsanto to kill the European corn borer caterpillar, a pest that destroys thousands of hectares around the world every year, was approved in Spain and France way back in 1998.

 

It was the only GM corn that was grown in the EU, with Spanish crops of MON180 accounting for 70 percent of the continent's total.

 

Environmentalists lauded the move of France and are now urging Spain to follow suit.

 

Juan-Felipe Carrasco, head of the Greenpeace anti-GM campaign in Spain, said that their group was pleasantly surprised with the move of France while Spain still succumbs to the power of GM companies.

 

However, a spokesman from Spain's Ministry of Agriculture said there are no plans to outlaw MON180 and that sowing of the controversial corn will continue this year.

 

Over the last decade, Spain has tripled its GM corn crop, sowing 75,000 hectares in 2007.

 

Aragon is the largest producer of crops with 35,000 hectares, followed by Cataluna with 23,000.

 

Spanish officials refused to pinpoint the exact location of the crops for ''security reasons,'' despite EU laws that oblige member states to keep public registers on GM fields.