German Ministers Call for GM Maize Ban

In an interview with the German daily Berliner Zeitung, Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said that the government may revoke the license for the cultivation of MON810 maize varieties in Germany because neither farmers nor consumers want genetically modified crops. Aigner was quoted as saying "Here (in Germany) green gene technology does not provide recognizable advantages for the people." Aigner also said that she had instructed the Agriculture Ministry to identify a mechanism to establish GM-free zones or to declare some German states as GM-free.

Aigner's call was echoed by Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's Environment Minister. Reuters quoted Gabriel as saying "Germany should consider following countries like France, which had imposed a unilateral ban on GM maize cultivation." Gabriel urged the government to review its policy permitting the cultivation of the genetically modified maize before this season's crops are sown in the spring.

Andreas Thierfelder, a spokesman for Monsanto Company, told Bloomberg News that Germany should consider scientific facts rather than politics regarding the possible restrictions of Mon810. Thierfelder noted that the GM maize has been approved as safe by the country's own Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety. The European Food Safety Authority, EU's top food watchdog, also confirmed that MON 810 is safe for human and animal consumption.

A USDA FAS GAIN Report on the possible MON810 ban is available at http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200902/146327270.pdf