Greece urges tighter EU controls on gene crops
Date: 13-Jul-00
Country: GREECE
Author: Maria Petrakis
"There are gaps in EU legislation which must be covered, particularly in regard to the obligations of these companies," Deputy Environment Minister Ilias Efthymiopoulos told reporters.
Greece said last week it would destroy all genetically modified cotton crops and compensate farmers after conducting tests to determine how far they had spread.
The EU has banned genetically modified cotton. Environmentalists fear the spread of gene-altered crops poses threates to human health and the environment.
Greece's agriculture ministry said it had tested 3,100 samples from 14,000 tonnes of seed, of which 10,000 tonnes were planted. Of the 2,518 results received so far, 69 had shown contamination.
Efthymiopoulos said that the number of samples testing GM positive could rise to 100.
Greece, a major cotton exporter, receives EU subsidies for an industry that supports hundreds of thousands of farmers. Agriculture ministry officials have been unable to explain how the tested seeds were contaminated.
Greece will push for stricter EU measures at an informal meeting of EU environment ministers beginning on July 14.
Also on Greece's agenda is the creation of GM-free zones along the lines of one already created in Italy's Tuscany region.