EU concedes GM foods as unavoidable part of future

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said Wednesday (Mar 3) he was against genetically modified foods but said they were an unavoidable part of the future.

If Europe decided to keep itself free from genetically modified (GM) products, it risked losing out in terms of being competitive, he warned.

"We cannot win this battle, so I am not fighting," the European Parliament president said.

GM foods were also necessary in countries like Bangladesh, where salty-drop hurricanes were devastating rice paddies, he said.

A European Commission decision Tuesday (Mar 2) to approve the cultivation of genetically modified potatoes prompted an angry response from environmental campaign groups across Europe.

Asked whether he supported individual EU member states declaring themselves free from GM food despite the EU ruling, Buzek said no country could run checks on every single imported product in a global economy.

"We are having a lot of GM products around, even if we are against. It is very difficult for us to stop it. But it is always possible to try," he said.

Bulgarian organic-food supporters recently staged a string of protests following a parliament debate on easing restrictions for growing GM products outside research laboratories and close to protected areas.