A delegation of Spanish,
Romanian and Portuguese farmers and farming associations recently met in Brussels
to demand fairer access to the agricultural biotech products and technologies
available to their global competitors.
The group highlighted the extent to which the EU is disadvantaging its farmers
and its agricultural sector in general in terms of producing more food more
sustainably, using fewer resources as well as how much each European citizen
loses as a result of the EU’s dual policy regarding GMOs. The EU imports
large amounts of GM crops, but forbids its own farmers from using the same
technology. The results of this policy can be understood by all the Europeans
who have already been affected by the higher living cost and the difficulties
triggered by the economic crisis, if Romania’s experience is made known.
The group callied for science-based decision making, better access to EFSA
approved GM crops and food and feed as well as workable coexistence measures
that do not discriminate against those farmers that wish to grow GM crops.
Speaking at the event, Dan Botanoiu Executive Manager of the Romanian National
Farmer’s Federation said: “Prior to joining the European Union,
Romanian farmers were allowed to use a very valuable technology – namely,
herbicide-tolerant soybeans. Romania has favorable natural conditions enabling
it to expand its soybean area to 1 million hectares, which would allow the
country to supply the EU with large amounts of vegetable protein, besides
a substantial exportable surplus. First-hand experience confirms that production
costs are lower than for conventional varieties and that this transgenic crop
brings direct environmental benefits, such as reduced pesticide use.
Romania used to obtain a total amount of soybeans worth over 150 million EUR,
every year. Upon the country’s accession to the EU, its farmers no longer
had the freedom to plant this crop and, consequently, they have no longer
been able to compete with imports. The net result is we loose our own income
and we have to find the finances to buy-in what we used to produce, with the
finances going to our competitors in the Americas. In our view this is completely
unnecessary and unsustainable”
At present, Romania imports up to 500,000 tons of soy meal and beans for crushing
every year, which means a loss of over 200 million EUR. This money goes outside
the EU, to finance the development of farmers in the Americas and the scientific
progress and social welfare in those countries.
Antonio Villarroel, Secretary General of the Spanish biotech association ANTAMA
added “We demand that Spanish farmers have the right to access the same
technologies available to farmers elsewhere in the world. Many Spanish farmers
have successfully adopted the cultivation of GM maize which is allowing them
to produce greater yields of higher quality food using fewer resources. But
we have real fears that the new proposals that the Commission will announce
tomorrow will make it harder and harder for us to coexist successfully with
other types of farming. We believe these proposals will discriminate against
us unfairly and that they could result in impossible coexistence measures
being imposed upon us”
The delegations including farmers, agronomists and a range of stakeholders
held a workshop to highlight their situation and concerns this morning and
will meet with a range of stakeholders asking for their concerns to be heard
and reacted upon this afternoon and tomorrow. They will then go to the European
Parliament to hear Commissioner John Dalli make the announcement of the new
nationalisation proposals.
Gabriela Cruz, a Portuguese Farmer, concluded: “We have already made
a relative success of growing GM crops in successful co-existence with other
types of farming in Portugal. In doing this we have seen massive benefits
for both our farmers and our environments. But we are genuinely worried that
the Commission’s new proposals will cause even greater confusion within
regions and municipalities in Portugal. Already our farmers suffer because
of contradictory decisions at the level of Portuguese administration restricting
a higher adoption rate of GM crops. This means that GM farmers cannot access
the agro-environmental supporting measures that other farmers are entitled
to, just because they are growing GM. We fear even more unfair discrimination
in the future and we want to be here and on record as being totally opposed
to any proposal which worsens these inequalities”
Source:
Joint Spanish, Romanian and Portuguese delegation calls for fairer access
to GM Crops and technologies. Liga Asociatilor Producatorilor Agricoli
din Romania, Fundacíon Antama, F.N.O.A.R and AgroBiotechRom (12.7.10)
(http://www.europabio.org/PressReleases/general/PR_2010-07-12_Event_Spain_Romania_Portugal.pdf)
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