LMP: Farm minister secretly procured GM seeds in Washington
Budapest, June 17 (MTI) – Farm Minister Sándor Fazekas had violated Hungary’s fundamental law when he allegedly procured genetically modified seeds for research purposes during a visit to Washington in April, the opposition LMP party said.
Benedek R. Sallai, the party’s spokesman, said in a statement on Friday that LMP had obtained documents which provide clear proof that Fazekas had entered into “negotiations” which may lead to Hungary losing its current GMO-free status. The minister “bowed to multinational interests and the GMO lobby to help the TTIP trade pact to success at the expense of Hungary’s GMO-free status,” the statement said.
The European Union has allowed the production of two types of GM crops, but both of them are prohibited in Hungary and it is also illegal to bring such seeds into the country even for research purposes, Sallai said. The constitution states that Hungary declares itself a GMO-free state and it wants to keep its agriculture this way. Fazekas had gone against this principle behind closed doors and misled the Hungarian people, “therefore he should resign”, Sallai added.
Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matter