London (21 September 2005) – In the endless blocked votes on GM issues in the European Union, Denmark has consistently adopted a position against, effectively vetoing EU approval.

But just last week, the opposition Social Democrats announced that they plan to give up their blanket rejection. The party said that it will recommend the government approval of a specific type of GMO maize when it comes up for a vote in the EU. Social Democratic EU spokesman Svend Auken, who in 1999 was responsible for the national moratorium on GMO, said the change in attitude came as a result of new rules governing labelling and tracking of genetically modified crops.

The mandate to the government in this instance, however, should not be considered as an acceptance of all GMO products. The party said it would evaluate new requests for approval on a case-by-case basis. This change of position means that the Danish parliament's long-standing majority opposition to GMO has dried up; presumably the future will see a more pro-GM position on the part of the Danes.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, several hundred miles to the south, a controversial outdoor experiment with genetically modified (GM) wheat run by the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich has been successful in spite of a lengthy legal battle and extra security needed to protect the site from protesters which caused the project to over-run its original budget threefold. So much for those with the interests of agriculture at heart.
The test confirmed laboratory findings that the KP4 gene improved wheat resistance to fungi by 10%. According to project leader Christof Sautter, safety tests on pollen distribution and soil analysis also showed that the GM wheat posed no increased risk to humans or the environment.

Sautter felt it was vital to carry out the tests in the open air and predicted that similar trials may take place in Switzerland in the future. "You can simulate temperature, humidity and light conditions indoors, but you can never simulate the complex interaction with other organisms and the soil," he said. "There really is no alternative”. But he did not think he would be involved again: “I cannot afford another experience like that – it was too stressful", he said.

Sources:

Soc Dem shift opens door on GMO. Denmark.dk – the official window (16.9.05) (http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,610566&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&ic_itemid=866367)

Matthew Allen (16.9.05). Swiss GM crop trial yields positive results. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (http://www.nzzamsonntag.ch/2005/09/09/eng/article6072405.html)

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