Source – reuters.com

– First Scotland and Germany booted GMOs from their countries, citing fear of GMO crops contaminating their food supplies and concern over putting their food and beverage industries in jeopardy. Now, Greece and Latvia are telling Monsanto exactly what they can do with their genetically modified crops. The tide is turning. A tipping point just became evident through the actions of two additional European countries who have had enough of the Biotech strong arm.

Latvia and Greece have opted out of GMOs, as are Germany and Scotland, as part of the new allowances indicated in legislation that recently passed for EU countries.

The geographical opt-outs specifically target Monsanto’s MON810 GM Maize, which countries may choose to grow or refuse in the next several months. This is currently the only genetically modified crop allowed to be grown within the EU at present – but only when countries give specific permission.

As Sustainable Pulse explains, “while the European Commission is responsible for approvals, requests to be excluded also have to be submitted to the company making the application i.e. Monsanto for MON810.”

If additional member states deny Monsanto, we can be assured that the biotech company will try to find other ways to force their GM crops on the world (e.g. the Trans Pacific Trade partnership) but as we collectively say NO, upholding bans, and demanding labeling, we will rid this planet of the plague that is genetically modified food.

Germany has initiated a move to stop the growing of genetically modified crops under new European Union rules, documents seen by Reuters showed on Monday.

German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt has informed German state governments of his intention to tell the EU that Germany will make use of new “opt-out” rules to stop GMO crop cultivation even if varieties have been approved by the EU, a letter from the agriculture ministry seen by Reuters shows.

A new EU law approved in March cleared the way for new GMO crops to be approved after years of previous deadlock. But the law also gave individual countries the right to opt out by banning GMO crops even after they have been approved as safe by the European Commission.

Widely-grown in the Americas and Asia, GMO crops have divided opinion in Europe. Britain is among those in favour of them, while France and Germany are among those opposed.

Previously, when the EU approved crops as safe to produce they had to be permitted for cultivation in all EU states.

In the letter, the ministry stressed that Schmidt is continuing a previously-announced policy to keep a ban on GMOs in Germany.

Under the new EU rules, countries have until Oct. 3, 2015, to inform the Commission that they wish to opt out of new EU GMO cultivation approvals, the ministry letter said.

Schmidt has asked German state authorities to say by Sept. 11 whether their region should be included in the opt-out, the letter said. (Reporting by Hans-Edzard Busemann, writing by Michael Hogan, editing by David Evans)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/24/grain-germany-gmo-idUSL5N10Z2IV20150824