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Swiss reject bid for open-air GMO wheat test |
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| SWITZERLAND: November 21, 2001 | ||
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BERNE - A Swiss government agency has rejected a request by researchers to conduct controlled open-air tests of genetically modified wheat for fear of the study's potential damage to the environment, officials said yesterday.
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Hans Hosbach, head of the Federal Environment, Forestry and Agriculture Bureau's biotechnology section, said the Federal Institute of Technology's (ETH) request to hold the test was rebuffed because it was not sufficiently justified. The agency had asked ETH researchers to revamp their initial request to test modified wheat's resistance to the stinking smut fungus, but even the revised application left open too many questions about the environmental impact, he said. The ETH has 30 days to appeal against the ruling. In a statement, the ETH said it regretted the ruling. "Field trials are essential for basic research in molecular biology, so the ETH sees the agency's decision as a very unfavourable signal for Switzerland as a research centre and for its international competitiveness," it said.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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