Medical and Hospital News  
FARM NEWS
Germany's top court upholds restrictive GM crops law

by Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) Nov 24, 2010
Germany's top court on Wednesday upheld a two-year-old law placing sharp restrictions on the use of genetically modified crops, saying it protected the public from the risks of the technology.

The Federal Constitutional Court said that 2008 legislation requiring buffer zones between GM and conventional crops were justified due to the risk of "contamination" between the plants and open questions about the technology.

"The legislative branch is pursuing legitimate public welfare objectives and must be given generous room to implement state regulation in order to realise these objectives against the backdrop of the broad social and scientific debate about the use of genetic engineering," the court said.

The law mandates a 150-metre-wide (490-feet-wide) "protective zone" between GM crops and standard farmland and a 300-metre-wide gap next to organic crops.

GM fields must also be registered so any co-mingling can be traced back to the source and the responsible farmers can be held liable.

The law had been challenged by the rural eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt even before it was passed.

Environmental watchdog Greenpeace welcomed the ruling saying that a "risky technology such as genetic engineering cannot be forced on anyone".

"The decision confirms that there are dangers and risks associated with the seeding of GM plants," Stephanie Toewe of the group said in a statement.

A state secretary at the agriculture ministry, Robert Kloos, said the court's ruling "protects the population and the environment and allows for responsible use of GMOs," genetically modified organisms.

But the German Farmers' Association said upholding the principle of liability for any co-mingling presented "incalculable and uninsurable risks" for the sector and as a result, advised against planting GM crops.

The European Union has struggled to establish a unified line on GM, with two crops currently authorised -- a maize strain for animal feed and a potato for paper-making -- but decisions on another 15 are deadlocked.

Countries and regions have subsequently banned cultivation unilaterally, or declared themselves GM-free, with products containing traces blocked at ports.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, says such policies risk breaching World Trade Organization guidelines.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


FARM NEWS
Hong Kong to host eye-watering 900 US dollar meal
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 23, 2010
Famously relaxed with conspicuous consumption, Hong Kong is set to host a dinner costing nearly 7,000 Hong Kong dollars (902 US dollars) per head, according to one of the city's hotels. US-born chef Thomas Keller is being flown in by the Mandarin Oriental to cook for 450 diners - in what the hotel says will be Hong Kong's most expensive meal this year. A top-priced, 11-course dinner dur ... read more







FARM NEWS
Seven killed as bridge collapses in China

LIDAR Applications In Coastal Morphology And Hazard Assessment

Violence grips Haiti ahead of elections

Finnish know-how can solve global problems: Nokia chief

FARM NEWS
New Simulator Offers Ability To Record And Replay GLONASS And GPS

Russia To Launch New Generation Satellite In 2013

SkyTraq Introduces New GLONASS/GPS Receiver

SES To Contribute To Galileo Operations

FARM NEWS
Jet-Lagged And Forgetful? It's No Coincidence

Single drop of blood could reveal age

Study Reveals Neural Basis Of Rapid Brain Adaptation

Human Children Outpaced Neanderthals By Slowing Down

FARM NEWS
Can Cacti Escape Underground In High Temperatures

Engineer Provides New Insight Into Pterodactyl Flight

Tigers And Polar Bears Are Highly Vulnerable To Environmental Change

Slugfest Losers Ignored By The Female

FARM NEWS
Haiti cholera death toll surges past 1,600

Cholera And Vaccine Experts Urge United States To Stockpile Vaccine

Haiti cholera death toll surges past 1,500

New AIDS cases fall by one fifth in a decade: UN

FARM NEWS
Empty chair for Liu at Nobel ceremony: activist

Empty chair for Liu at Nobel ceremony: activist

China harassing Mongols ahead of dissident release: activist

China overturns 10 percent of death sentences

FARM NEWS
Piracy sidelines third of Taiwan's Indian Ocean tuna fleet

Dutch navy arrests 20 Somalis over S.African yacht attack

Chinese crew fights off pirates near Somalia

Pirates seize ship with 29 Chinese sailors aboard: Xinhua

FARM NEWS
Computer meltdown leaves millions of Aussies without cash

China central bank warns of growing inflationary pressure

Hong Kong developers slam 'heavy' property cooling measures

China expected to raise 2011 inflation target: state media


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement