Está em curso a avaliação da proposta de Decreto-Lei regional madeirense de criação de uma zona livre de cultivos transgénicos. A EFSA (Autoridade Europeia de Segurança Alimentar), como era de esperar, disse que do seu ponto de vista não havia razões para tal proibição. A decisão final da Comissão espera-se para daqui a uns três meses.

EFSA dismisses reasons to ban GM cultivation on Madeira

On 27 January 2010, EFSA GMO Panel adopted a scientific opinion on the establishment of area free of cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Portuguese autonomous region of Madeira, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean with an oceanic subtropical climate and indigenous forest that are protected as World Heritage Site.

The GMO Panel only commented on aspects relating to human and animal health and the environment, and concluded that it could not identify new scientific information that would justify an ban of GM crops in Madeira. One of the reasons given was that no environmental risk assessment with GM crops has taken place in Madeira, and therefore it could not be concluded that the GM crops could lead to different effects on Madeira then in the rest of the EU.

The GMO panel did not comment on socio-economic aspects and on coexistence. While the Panel acknowledged that main Portugues arguments focus on the coexistence between cropping systems and the adventitious presence of authorised GM material in non-GM products, it concluded that agricultural issues fall outside its remit.

The EU Commission has set itself a deadline until May to decide whether to accept or reject the Protuguese decree.

>> http://www.testbiotech.org/en/node/299