LONDON: Following a decision by the European Commission to authorize the cultivation of BASF's antibiotic-resistance genetically modified potato, Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg launched a legal challenge to the European Court of Justice. The three countries have now been joined by France and Poland. They argue that the Commission acted illegally in authorizing Amflora, as the GM potato is called. The antibiotics affected by this gene are vital to combat deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and under EU law, antibiotic-resistance genes that can threaten human health and the environment should have been phased out by the end of 2004. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency back these claims and reiterate that these antibiotics are of “critical importance”. “Commission president Barroso's blind crusade for GM crops is being challenged from all corners of Europe. The Commission should immediately stop rubberstamping GM crops that have not been properly tested and withdraw the authorization of the antibiotic-resistant GM potato”, said Greenpeace EU agriculture policy advisor Stefanie Hundsdorfer. The Commission authorized the GM potato in March. The product is intended for the paper industry and to be used as animal feed, although the application also said it would be impossible to keep Amflora out of the human food chain. The Commission granted BASF permission to contaminate human food by up to 0.9%. Trouble flared during BASF's first Amflora growing season: the company accidentally mixed in seed from an untested GM potato known as Amadea, raising more doubts as to how controllable GM crops are. Campaign The case sparked a massive petition campaign that was signed by over one million Europeans, the first to reach a million signatures under the EU's new citizens' initiative that was enshrined in the EU Lisbon Treaty since December 2009. That means one million European citizens can formally request that the Commission take legislative steps to address their demands. “This is a massive step for European democracy. European citizens have given President Barroso more than a million reasons to listen to the public and act with precaution rather than cave to the private interests of the GM industry. Europeans are deeply concerned that a handful of GM companies are determining Europe's agricultural future, and have embraced the new ‘citizens initiative' to re-insert a democratic voice into EU food and farm policy”, said Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel. “People from all corners of Europe know that GM crops are bad for food and farming. Europeans are fed up with Barroso's Commission pushing through GM crops in the face of public rejection. The strong support for this citizens' initiative shows that Europeans want to see a moratorium on GM crops until scientific and ethical problems are solved”, said Greenpeace EU director Jorgo Riss. BM
