Regions in the world banning some or all GE crops

A continually updated list

This list is is based on information from "GE free" and "Third World Network". It is not exhaustive.

EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES

The recently adopted revised EU regulation 90/220 on deliberate release does not contain direct provisions to enable Member States to declare GE free zones. A respective amendment introduced by the Parliament to give national authorities the unqualified power to take action to protect environmentally sensitive areas was lost. The safeguard clause on health and environmental protection derived from the EU Treaty, known in the existing 90/220 as Article 16, still exists as a mechanism for national protection but is intended to be only a short-term measure pending arbitration at EU level. In practice this Article has been invoked so far by six member states without any enforcement measures being taken by the Commission to repeal the bans.

Italy: The four regions Tuscany, Molise, Lazio and Marche and around 25 provinces, cities and communes banned GE crops, including Rome, Milan, Turin, Brescia and Genoa. These are all democratically-taken decisions in local or regional councils and in the case of Tuscany, the result has been ratified by the national government - the decision means that regional governments have been given the authority under Italian law to overturn decisions taken at EU level.

Austria: Bans on three GE maize (Novartis, Monsanto and AgrEvo), the Federal Institute for Less-Favoured and Mountainous Areas is pressing for GM free legislation and published a study on GE-free zones, initiatives in the States of Vorarlberg and Salzburg to ban GE trials.

France: ban of PGS and AgrEvo HR rapeseed

Germany: Ban of Novartis Bt maize. The initiative "No GE on communal land" of BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) launched activities in several German communities to discuss and vote on the GE-free resolutions. Application are launched in: Bad Vilbel, Blauenstein, Lahr, Konstanz, Hannover, Hamburg. Application are accepted in: M¸nchen, Reutlingen, Freidrichsdorf, Blomberg, Seligenstadt, Niddatal, Maintal, Riedstadt, Adendorf, Schwebheim, Pinneberg, Schwabach, Langenhagen, Wyhe, Burgdorf, Neetze, District Traunstein. Several protestant regional church organisations: banned GE crops from their land: Hannover, Hessen und Nassau, Sachsen, Protestantic Church of Westfalen, Protestantic Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, Church Province of Sachsen.

Luxembourg: Ban of Novartis Bt maize.

Portugal: Ban of Novartis Bt maize.

Greece: Ban of AgrEvo HR rapeseed, moratorium of GE crop trials.

Spain: The Basque Government went for a five year blanket moratorium for GMOs. The Basque Government claims full powers for agricultural policy and thus that they can provisionally ban GMOs if they so wish. The three provinces of Castilla-La Mancha and Baleares banned GE food, AndalucÌa declared a five year moratorium on GE crop trials and GE food.

UK: The Church of England has refused permission for GE crop trials on 60,000 hectares of its land, dozens of local authorities supply GE free school lunches, the House of Commons banned GE foods for its catering. The vote of the Welsh Assembly to keep Wales GE free was counteracted by the ministry of Agriculture approving a GE maize variety. The Island of Jersey banned GE crops.

OTHERS

Switzerland: Although a center of GE science and industry, only two trials with GE potatoes in 1991/92 have been performed until now.

Norway: Ban on the import of six GE crops and products which contain antibiotic resistance genes - two GE vaccines, GE maize, tobacco, chicory, and oil swede rape. 31 GE applications have been rejected to date.

Australia: The State of Tasmania banned GE rapeseed as weed, Western Australia has banned commercial GE planting. Australian States are given the right to declare themselves GE free. Some communities (e.g. Bondi/Sydney, West Wimmera Shire) declared themselves GE free.

New Zealand: Some local bodies in Auckland and Wellington have declared themselves GM free. Trials with GE salmon have been blocked by the government.

Thailand: Banned imports of 40 GE crops for commercial planting, but not for research purposes.

Philippines: The community of Valencia called for a five-year moratoria on GE food and GE crop trials and commercialization. The Philippine president announced a moratorium on GE crop research.

Saudi Arabia: Banned food that are made from GMOs and declared not to import GE wheat.

Egypt: Declared not to import GE wheat.

Algeria: Banned the import, distribution, commercialisation and utilization of GE plants except for research purposes.

Brazil: Planting GE seeds is prohibited by federal law in Brazil for the time being, the States of Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso do Sul have declared their intentions to remain GM-free, 18 States called upon the Central government to block commercial GE crop planting.

Paraguay: The Ministry of Agriculture plans to ban GE crops from commercial planting.

USA: Various bills calling for moratoria on GE food (Vermont), bans of GE wheat (North Dakota, Montana) have been filed within the last year.Several municipalities declared moratoria on GE food (Burlington/Vermont), bans of GE crops (City of Boulder/Colorado), or urged the federal government to ban GE food (City and County of San Francisco/California). Many attempts to adopt such bills or resolutions failed in the past.

GENET will update the situation in the USA in a subsequent GE-free Newsletter. [N.B.: At this point nearly 20 states (the count was 16 6 months ago) are discussing GMO-related legislation, including moratorium bills in New York, Massachusetts and several others.]

This was the situation in March 2001 according to GE free Newsletter, Sat, 3 Mar 2001. Below you will find more regions joining in.

Additions to the list by PSRAST

April 5 2001

Canadian farmers want GM wheat ban

The Canadian Wheat Board is asking the federal government to block Monsanto and other companies from selling genetically altered wheat seed amid fears the grain will destroy Canada's most important export markets.

April 6 2001

Thai Government's decied to stop the release of all Genetically Engineered (GE) crops into the environment and to no longer allow any GE field trials in Thailand.

The cabinet of the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra decided to instruct the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to halt all approvals for GE field trials. The decision should also mark the end of ongoing field trials on GE cotton and GE corn. Thailand has already banned all commercial growing of GE crops on its territory.

Source: Greenpeace press relase from April 6, see http://www.greenpeace.org

April 13, 2001

Sri Lanka announces ban on genetically modified food imports

The government has announced a ban on imports of all genetically modified foods from May 1, a state-run newspaper (Daily News) reported on April 13.

Source: AP Worldstream, April 13, 2001

April 19 2001

China bans major GE crops

The growth of genetically modified rice, wheat, corn and soyabean is banned because the governments fears other countries would refuse to buy them.

Source: South China Morning Post. AGRICULTURE. Mark O'Neill in Beijing www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm

May 16 2001

Africa

The draft Organization of African Unity (OAU) model biosafety law requires that all GMOs, whether classified as food, crops, pharmaceuticals, or commodities, and products thereof must be approved before import, transit, contained use, release, and market release can take place. Any GMOs or products thereof must be labeled as such and there is a strict liability regime in place. This model law will serve as a model for national implementation in African countries.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: A ban on the import of all genetically modified foods, raw and processed, went into effect on May 1, 2001. This includes GMOs and products thereof.

Thailand

Ban on field trials of GE crops, and the termination of ongoing field trials of Monsanto's GE cotton and corn. Ban on all commercial planting of GE crops. Thailand will be drawing up legislation for labeling of GE food by the end of 2001.

Japan

Declared not to import GE wheat. Recent legislation has set zero tolerance for imports containing unapproved GE products. Imports found to contain unapproved GMOs will be destroyed or shipped back to origin. Violators may incur penalties of up to one-year imprisonment and may be fined. The legislation also seeks mandatory labeling for GMOs in food.

Philippines

The Philippine president recently announced a moratorium on GE crop research.

The community of Valencia called for a five-year moratorium on GE food and GE crop trials and commercialization.

USA

The state Maryland has banned GE fish.

PACIFIC

14 South Pacific countries - American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - have recommended a moratorium on the import of GMOs pending the implementation of appropriate national risk assessment and risk management procedures.