European Parliament approves new legislation on GM crops

The European Parliament (EP) voted Tuesday to allow European Union(EU) member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops on their own territory.

The rule change, informally agreed by the EP and the Council of the EU in December, was originally tabled in 2010 but was then deadlocked for four years due to disagreement between pro and anti-GM member states, Xinhua reported.

A compromise was finally agreed, and the new rules allow individual states to decide whether they want to ban GM crops on their own environmental policy grounds, and not just perceived risks to health and the environment as assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was previously the case.

The new law only applies to crops and does not cover GM used in animal feed, which could still end up in the food chain.

Member states will also be able ban GM crops on grounds such as town and country planning requirements, socio-economic impact, avoiding the unintended presence of GM organisms (GMOs) in other products, and farm policy. Bans could also include groups of GMOs designated by crop.

The agreement was approved by 480 votes to 159, with 58 abstentions. The new legislation will come into force in spring 2015.