Tweet
ENVIRONMENTALISTS ALARMING: GMO PRODUCTS OUSTING LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE
arminfo
Friday, May 18, 15:47
GMO in Armenia: to be or not to be? The question seems quite relevant;
while environmentalists are alarming that GMO products have already
began to oust the local agricultural produce.
Karine Danielyan, Head of the Association for Sustainable Human
Development, says that one can hardly find today the local sorts of
tomatoes in the market.
"Genetically modified tomatoes are economically viable because of good
pest resistant crop. However, all this ousts the local sorts, which
is a serious problem," K. Danielyan told media, Friday. Nevertheless,
she said that fighting for absolute prohibition of GMOs is a too hard
task even for the European countries.
Danielyan said production and export of genetically modified
agricultural products is backed by influential companies in the USA and
Canada. The attempt to safeguard the local population against GMOs may
grow into a real political battle. In addition, she said, scientists
have not arrived at a single conclusion regarding the effect of GMO
on the human organism. This creates certain obstacles to the work of
international courts that receive petitions from various countries over
restriction of imports GM-products. As for Armenia, the Bill on GMOs
has become the first step to control over import of products containing
GMO. At the same time, Danielyan said, NGOs and the institutions of
the Armenian National Academy of Sciecne criticized the bill and the
prime minister had to recall the bill for elaboration on May 15.
The experts alarmed that the bill lacked a provision on food products.
It is common practice in the world to include such provision in the
law to increase control over imports of GMO containing products.
Environmentalists urge the government to permit import of only
self-pollinating species to avoid "infection" of other plants. The
bill neglects also the factor of the wind that may spread the blossom
dust of GM-species. Environmentalists also come out against import
of GM-seeds in Armenia.
As regards food products containing GMOs, Danielyan stressed the
necessity of laboratory inspections of the imported goods.
"Importers may write in the certificates everything they want. We
must carefully verify that information," she said.
There are relevant labs at two institutes of the Armenian National
Academy of Science.
It is noteworthy that there is no information on import of foods
containing GMO and one can just suppose that the humanitarian
assistance we received in 90s from some countries might contain GMO.
arminfo
Friday, May 18, 15:47
GMO in Armenia: to be or not to be? The question seems quite relevant;
while environmentalists are alarming that GMO products have already
began to oust the local agricultural produce.
Karine Danielyan, Head of the Association for Sustainable Human
Development, says that one can hardly find today the local sorts of
tomatoes in the market.
"Genetically modified tomatoes are economically viable because of good
pest resistant crop. However, all this ousts the local sorts, which
is a serious problem," K. Danielyan told media, Friday. Nevertheless,
she said that fighting for absolute prohibition of GMOs is a too hard
task even for the European countries.
Danielyan said production and export of genetically modified
agricultural products is backed by influential companies in the USA and
Canada. The attempt to safeguard the local population against GMOs may
grow into a real political battle. In addition, she said, scientists
have not arrived at a single conclusion regarding the effect of GMO
on the human organism. This creates certain obstacles to the work of
international courts that receive petitions from various countries over
restriction of imports GM-products. As for Armenia, the Bill on GMOs
has become the first step to control over import of products containing
GMO. At the same time, Danielyan said, NGOs and the institutions of
the Armenian National Academy of Sciecne criticized the bill and the
prime minister had to recall the bill for elaboration on May 15.
The experts alarmed that the bill lacked a provision on food products.
It is common practice in the world to include such provision in the
law to increase control over imports of GMO containing products.
Environmentalists urge the government to permit import of only
self-pollinating species to avoid "infection" of other plants. The
bill neglects also the factor of the wind that may spread the blossom
dust of GM-species. Environmentalists also come out against import
of GM-seeds in Armenia.
As regards food products containing GMOs, Danielyan stressed the
necessity of laboratory inspections of the imported goods.
"Importers may write in the certificates everything they want. We
must carefully verify that information," she said.
There are relevant labs at two institutes of the Armenian National
Academy of Science.
It is noteworthy that there is no information on import of foods
containing GMO and one can just suppose that the humanitarian
assistance we received in 90s from some countries might contain GMO.