French court rejects govt ban on Monsanto GM corn

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.france24.com/en/20130801-french-court-rejects-ban-monsanto-gm-corn-mon810?ns_campaign=editorial&ns_source=FB&ns_mchannel=reseaux_sociaux&ns_fee=0&ns_linkname=20130801_french_court_rejects_ban_monsanto_gm
8/1/13
French court rejects govt ban on Monsanto GM corn

A top French court on Thursday rejected a ban on a type of genetically modified corn produced by US agrochemical giant Monsanto, saying a prohibition is only allowed if the corn "poses a major risk". France banned MON810 corn in March 2012.

France's top administrative court on Thursday threw out a government ban on US agro-chemicals giant Monsanto from growing a type of genetically modified corn.

A moratorium on MON810 corn -- one of just two types of genetically altered food crops whose cultivation is approved by the European Union -- has been in place in France since March 2012.

The Council of State court noted in a statement that the moratorium had little legal basis.

It pointed out that EU regulations say such a ban "can only be taken by a member state in case of an emergency or if a situation poses a major risk" to the health of people or animals, or to the environment.

But France's Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll countered that the government "is not in favour of GM, especially MON810 which is a corn that is resistant to herbicides."

He hinted earlier that the government would take other legal actions if the ban were lifted, and later announced that authorities would take a fresh decision on whether or not to get rid of MON810 before farmers next sow seeds from April 2014.

Brussels cleared MON810 in 1998 for 10 years and Monsanto submitted a request in 2007 for it to be extended but the process has been effectively frozen since then.

In the absence of a formal decision on the renewal request, MON810 is still grown on a small scale, notably in Spain and Portugal whose governments have been more welcoming than other member states.

[Mark]

GMO Corn Ban Lifted in France

So much for the vision of a GMO-free Europe: Following Monsanto’s announcement that it would no longer seek approval to grow new crops in the EU, France’s Council of State court overturned a ban the government placed on the company’s MON 810 corn in 2012.
 
Unlike the Round-Up resistant corn that’s so commonly planted in the United State, MON 810 is designed to excrete a toxin that’s poisonous to insects. So if any European corn borers take a bite out of stalk or ear, they die. The variety was approved for commercial planting in Europe back in 1998, but France and five other countries—Austria, Hungary, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany—enacted their own bans.

REST: http://news.yahoo.com/gmo-corn-ban-lifted-france-224349346.html

I must say, France has done a fast 180 on a lot of issues here of late. Sodomy laws, and now Monsanto.... i see a trend forming.

[Psalm 51:17]

GMO Corn Ban Lifted in France

So much for the vision of a GMO-free Europe: Following Monsanto’s announcement that it would no longer seek approval to grow new crops in the EU, France’s Council of State court overturned a ban the government placed on the company’s MON 810 corn in 2012.
 
Unlike the Round-Up resistant corn that’s so commonly planted in the United State, MON 810 is designed to excrete a toxin that’s poisonous to insects. So if any European corn borers take a bite out of stalk or ear, they die. The variety was approved for commercial planting in Europe back in 1998, but France and five other countries—Austria, Hungary, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany—enacted their own bans.

REST: http://news.yahoo.com/gmo-corn-ban-lifted-france-224349346.html

I must say, France has done a fast 180 on a lot of issues here of late. Sodomy laws, and now Monsanto.... i see a trend forming.

I visited this country years ago - it's not your typical Western country.