Germany Bans GMO Corn


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/05/germany-bans-genet\
ically-modified-corn.aspx


Germany Bans GMO Corn - source- Spiegel Online April 14, 2009


Germany has banned the cultivation of GM corn, arguing that the corn breed MON
810 is dangerous for the environment. But that argument might not stand up in
court, and Germany could face fines totaling millions of euros if Monsanto
decides to challenge the prohibition.

Under the new regulations,
the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn produced by Monsanto, will be prohibited
in Germany. A clause in EU law allows individual countries to impose such bans.
Environmental groups welcomed the ban, pointing out that numerous scientific
studies demonstrated GM corn was a danger to the
environment.

However, it may be hard to prove conclusively that MON
810 damages the environment, which could enable Monsanto to win a court case
opposing the ban. Monsanto has said that it would look as quickly as possible
into whether it would begin legal proceedings.

MON 810 had been the
only GM crop that could be grown in Germany. The plant produces a toxin to fight
off a certain pest, the larvae of the corn borer moth. MON 810 is already banned
in five other EU member states: Austria, Hungary, Greece, France and Luxembourg.

Dr. Mercola Comments
Germany has now become the sixth country in the European Union to take a stand
against GM corn -- a wise move that unfortunately the United States has yet to
do.

Whereas close to 9,000 acres slated to be planted with MON 810
corn in Germany will now be GM-free (assuming the ban stands up in court if
necessary), the acres to be planted with GM corn in the U.S. is in the tens of
millions.

German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced she was
banning not only the cultivation of GM corn but also the sale of its seeds,
saying she had "legitimate reasons to believe that MON 810 posed a danger to the
environment."
Source: Dr. Mercola (Mercola.com)