80% of Russian people oppose GMOs and Russian scientists warn against health impacts.
1. 80% of Russians feel negative towards GMOs
2. "GMO products cause cancer and obesity" - food safety expert
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1. 80% of Russians feel negative towards GMOs
The Voice of Russia, 13 Feb 2014
http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_13/Russia-could-ban-food-GMOs-7323/
Following the GMO debate some countries seek tighter regulations while others place them at the core of agriculture. China is one of the world’s largest producers of GMO crops. And Japan, Austria, Venezuela, and New Zealand, for example, are GMO free. In a recent move of Russia’s lawmakers, the country could introduce a total ban on genetically modified foods’ production and turnover. Aleksei Alekseenko, spokesperson at Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, and Nina Holland, Researcher and Campaigner at the Corporate Europe Observatory shared their opinion with the Voice of Russia.
A group of MPs proposed a bill amending the law On Safety and Quality of Alimentary Products.
At present, Russia requires labeling only if a product’s GMO contents exceeds 0.9 per cent.
But the lawmakers want to make this norm zero for all foodstuffs produced in Russia, while also banning the production of genetically modified organisms and transgenic products of plant, animal, or microbial origin for their use in human and animal foods.
Aleksei Alekseenko said:
"Well, we have to make our choice, because GMOs are produced in many countries of the world and we have to decide whether it is safe or unsafe to produce them here on the Russian territory. It is about no production of GMOs in the country, because, you see, it is a very confusing term – GMO – because we are talking about many thousands of different life objects."
The move of Russia’s lawmakers could find wide support among the country’s population.
According to the polls, over 80 per cent of Russians feel negative towards GMOs.
Nina Holland believes:
"It seems a very wise decision to me, we are arguing for the same to be done in the EU. The EU doesn’t produce many GMOs, just some maize in Spain. So I think it is nice if Russia bans the GMOs – from both the environmental point of view as well as from the point of view of the independence of farmers."
The initiative of the Russian policymakers is still just a bill and needs to go through many debates on its way to becoming law.
However the expectations for the bill’s success are running high.
And if Russia introduces a total ban, it could be easier to lobby for the same in Europe.
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2. "GMO products cause cancer and obesity" - food safety expert
Natalya Poltoratskaya
The Voice of Russia, 14 Feb 2014
http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_14/GMO-in-Russia-access-denied-1843/
Russia is firm: no genetically modified organisms in food production, the head of Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture Nikolay Fyodorov stated at the All-Russian Meeting of Agrarians. GMO-foods controversies between scientists, ecologists, and producers have a long history. Russia, which is now going organic, has faced these problems just recently.
The battle is being waged by two camps: while scientists lack arguments and evidence that GMO is harmful, huge and powerful production corporation have resources and political links. Scientists say they will need another couple of decades for a comprehensive research, but some threats are obvious already now, says Biology Professor and international expert on eco and food safety Dr. Irina Ermakova:
"These organisms are all dangerous because the very technology of their production is far from being perfect – it features pathogenic bacteria and viruses. When scientists tested the aftermath of GMO-produce on animals, they were horrified with the results – cancer and obesity. So the best things would be to ban such foods at all, as European countries do."
Today Russia is one of the largest global manufacturers of GMO-free grain. This agricultural year, its grain exports can account for 20 million tons. Environmentally friendly production can become Russia’s qualitative advantage in the world market.
However, the share of such production is still insignificant, experts say, so it’s rather about the country’s agricultural potential. It can be used at full capacity after changes in the legislation, believes the editor-in-chief of the Agrarian Review magazine Konstantin Lysenko:
"We have no legislation which defines organic production. And potentially Russia can flood the planet with such foods, as GMO-farming is banned in the country. But the reality is that, practically, all soy cultivated in the world is genetically modified as well as some 20% of corn".
Meanwhile the Russian government suggested to manage the use of GMOs cultures. Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered to probe if Russia has any such crops and compile a database of all imports. Then a legislative decision will follow.