Rural DevelopmentMinistry: Govt to stick by “zero tolerance” on GMO

Budapest, February 20 (MTI) – The government’s “zero tolerance” ban applies to all genetically-altered crops, a state secretary at the rural development ministry told a forum held in parliament today.

Gyula Budai said Hungary would continue to ban the farming of GM crops in Hungary, including maize.

The European Union will soon give the green light to the cultivation of genetically-modified maize 1507, which will apply to Hungary, too, Budai said, adding that clear and open talks about GMO are timely and important.

In March 2009, EU environment ministers voted against a European Commission proposal which would have required Hungary to lift an existing ban on the production and import of genetically-modified products.

A food safety survey said only 9 percent of Hungarians believed genetically modified food to be safe and 64 percent believed that such food is clearly unsafe.

Photo: greenpeace.blog.hu

Source: http://hungarymatters.hu/