The New York Times reports that he European Union is considering a ban on two types of genetically modified corn seed – manufactured by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta – that its scientists have determined “could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams.”
According to the Times, “A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn … setting it at odds with the United States and angering industries.”
The Times goes on: “Since 1998, the commission has not approved any applications for the cultivation of genetically modified crops, but it has not actively rejected any applications, either, as would be the case with the genetically modified corn products.”
A US government spokesman tells the Times that the EU “continues to lack a predictable, workable process for approving these products in a way that reflects scientific rather than political factors.”
According to the Times, “A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn … setting it at odds with the United States and angering industries.”
The Times goes on: “Since 1998, the commission has not approved any applications for the cultivation of genetically modified crops, but it has not actively rejected any applications, either, as would be the case with the genetically modified corn products.”
A US government spokesman tells the Times that the EU “continues to lack a predictable, workable process for approving these products in a way that reflects scientific rather than political factors.”
- KC's View:
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That’s shocking, because we all know that the US government would never, ever make decisions based on political rather than scientific considerations.
While clearly such a ban by the EU has some significant business implications, is it incorrect to suggest that just maybe the US government ought to have a little more respect for the sovereignty of the EU? One can only imagine what the reaction would be here in the US if the EU tried to tell us what to do, and to suggest that we were being political rather than scientific in our judgments.
