Kenyan MPs Express Disapproval of EU Draft Bill on GM Crops

Members of the Parliament (MPs) in Kenya expressed their disapproval of the EU bill urging the Group of 8 (G8) member states not to support biotech crops in Africa. The drafted EU bill was authored and sponsored by the Committee on Development.

"This is very mischievous and it looks like it is intended to make Africa remain in subsistence farming," said MP John Serut from the agriculture committee. Kenyan MPs and biotechnology experts stressed that when the bill is enacted into a law, most Africa based research and development for GM crops will be halted.

"Instead of the EU group simply not funding the research in Africa, they are enacting a law that persuades others to withdraw funding for local development of GM crops. Apart from the United States, many countries across the globe have increased acreage under their GM crops," said Joel Ochieng, Secretary General of Kenya University Biotechnology Consortium. Thus, Ochieng asked for support from the Kenyan policy makers to submit a formal protest letter to the EU Parliament.

Read more from iEthiopia and The Star.