Studie "The GMO-emperor has no clothes" (engl.) - Nabu

Italy
Almost all regions in Italy have stood up against
GM crop cultivation and, these regions have
played a fundamental role in Europe in respect to
regulations related to GM crop cultivation.
In 2000, Tuscany was the first region to adopt
a law, which prohibited the cultivation of
transgenic crops in its territory. As an anti-GMO
leader in Italy, and throughout Europe, Tuscany
instituted several international initiatives, such as
the European Network of GMO-free Regions
and Local Authorities and the International
Commission for the Future of Food and
Agriculture. In 2005, 20 regions met in Florence
and signed the Bill of Regions and Local European
Authorities on the issue of coexistence between GMOs,
conventional and organic agriculture, also known as
the “Florence Bill,” which identified a number of
fundamental principles for governmental action on
the issue of GMOs. Today, 55 regions are members
of the European Network of GMO free Regions.
In Italy civil society groups have also strongly
reacted to the expropriation of their food rights. An
alliance between social and economic organizations
and a heterogeneous majority, held a national
consultation on GMOs in which citizens were able
to obtain information and express their preference,
which not surprisingly opposed GMOs.
Norway
Although there is no legal commercial production
of GMOs in Norway, its National Pension
Fund invests in Monsanto. Youth-led civil
society groups in Norway are engaged in a
campaign calling on the finance minister to divest
investments in Monsanto.
Poland
Poland retains a large peasant farming tradition
of some 1.4 million small family farms that work
mostly on a subsistence level. Then there is a
tranche of medium- sized traditional farms and an
area of large-scale monocultures. Some 2 million
farmers comprise the total on farm work force.
Poland emerged into the 21st century with
a reasonably robust legal act to prevent
indiscriminate planting of GM seeds/crops.
However, as the 2004 date of Polish entry into
the EU approached, the pressure to adopt GM
plants gathered momentum. Pro-GM trade
representatives from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture visited Poland frequently and the
U.S. Embassy in Warsaw became the quasi
headquarters of pro-GM lobbying activities, with
close ties to the Monsanto corporation. Cargill
mounted a similar offensive on the GM animal
feed front and used advertising on U.S. television
to depict Polish peasant farmers as an outdated,
poor but romantic underclass in need of Cargill’s
generosity in supplying “cheap” nitrates to make
them competitive.
In order to counteract the intense GM
propaganda machine, civil society worked with
regional governments, many of which created
GMO free regions. In 2006, Prime Minister
Kaczynski responded by banning the import and
planting of GM seeds and banning GM animal
feed. Poland thus became the first Country
in Europe to enact such a ban. In 2007 a new
government was elected and from this time
forward, Poland is more sympathetic to accepting
GMOs. Civil society has managed thus far to
“hold the line” on GMOs.
Russia
Polls show that Russian society is largely opposed
to GMOs with 86 percent expressing disapproval
of allowing any breeding of GM seeds or crops
and 73 percent are against having GMOs in food.
There is a robust anti-GMO movement in Russia
consisting of environmental groups, scientists,
farmers, health professionals, consumers, and
more.
Russian legislation does not directly prohibit
the breeding of GMOs. There are procedure to
permit such breeding in the Russian Federation
through environmental and biological safety
tests by certified scientific institutions, by the
Commission of State Environmental Expertise
and final consideration by the Ministry of natural
resources and environment. No permit has yet
been granted.
Representatives of the U.S. government and
multinational biotechnology corporations
strongly advocate for GMOs in Russia. During
negotiations for Russia’s accession to the World
Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S. insisted
that the Russian Federation sign a special
agreement on biotechnology which calls for
Russia to no longer label foods containing GMOs
and establishes patent and usage rights for U.S.
corporations that cultivate GM seeds and crops
within Russia. These measures will go into effect
upon Russia’s accession to the WTO, which, at
this writing, is expected to take place in 2011 or
early 2012.
Independent scientific testing of the effects
of GMOs on rats, hamsters, and mice have
generated great concern as to the safety of
GMOs. The tests have been conducted by: Dr.
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