Slow Food home | About us | Foundation | Editore | Sloweb | Press Office | Store     Sloweb     Home | Sloweek | Voices from the Slow world | Slow Talk | News | Watch & Listen             Against the will of citizens and farmers, and overriding the sovereignty of Member States, the EU authorizes a GM potato 02 Mar 10 - Sloweb The EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer policy John Dalli has approved the cultivation of the genetically modified 'Amflora' potato, produced by the German multinational BASF. The potato, modified to contain a higher percentage of starch, marks a step backwards in the approach adopted since 1998 by the EU, driven first and foremost by the precautionary principle. Commissioner Dalli has authorized the cultivation of the potato despite the fact that numerous environmental organizations have voiced concerns, that European citizens and farmers have come out on several occasions against GMOs and that the potato in question has a characteristic —resistance to an antibiotic— in direct violation of EU Directive 2001/18. Behavior of this sort only widens the gulf between the European Commission and the Member States, which are feeling increasingly less represented. "When BASF started to experiment with this GM potato,” comments Carlo Petrini, president of Slow Food International, “they said it would be used predominantly for industrial purposes, but the authorization now also includes its use in animal feed. This means that its antibiotic-resistant characteristic will also be introduced into the human food chain." "It is very serious,” he adds, “that this commissioner’s first action is to break an indisputable moratorium introduced precisely out of concern for our health. This demonstrates how the issue is being decided on the basis of the economic interests of the multinationals, without taking into consideration the as yet unknown dangers to public health. European citizens did not elect Dalli to represent them, but will now have to suffer the effects of his blatantly top-down decision. For its part, Slow Food will continue to oppose OGMs."   News archive from Terramadre News archive from Slowfood Foundation for Biodiversity News archive from University of Gastronomic Sciences News archive from Watch & Listen           News     Bulgaria - 27 Jul 10     Brotherhood Across the Balkans     A communal desire to support small-scale traditional producers in the face of growing threats from regulations and the food industry united food communities from ten countries across the...           News archive     Italy - 22 Jul 10     Dream Canteens     Slow Food buildings a strong network of schools putting good, clean and fair in the canteen ...     Belgium - 16 Jul 10     A Slow Voice in Policy Reform     Slow Food President Carlo Petrini participates in a public debate conference on Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy ...     Denmark - 14 Jul 10     Convivial Danes     Danish convivial join the country’s largest fair of artisan producers to share the Slow Food message ...     Argentina - 08 Jul 10     Flavors from the Andes to Patagonia     Terra Madre Argentina unites producers, cooks, academics and consumers in Buenos Aires ...     Macedonia - 02 Jul 10     Preserving Figs and a Gastronomic Heritage     The Wild Fig Slatko Presidium is created to protect a traditional preserve ...     Croatia - 23 Jun 10     Thank you for Everything, Giani     Farewell to Giani Banich, a friend and dynamic figure in the Slow Food movement ...     Archive previous news   Slow Food 2010 - All rights reserved - P.iva 91008360041 - Powered by Blulab