How Bulgaria will harmonise GMO law with EU legislation?

On 13 January Bulgarian parliament voted at the first hearing for amendments in GMO Law [1]. More then 500 people – informal organizations of mothers, environmental NGOs, farmers and consumers’ organizations and citizens – protested in the front of the Parliament and showed their strong resistance to GMO. So far almost 8000 people have signed the Petition to ban MON810 [2] or for GMO free Bulgaria [3]. Environmental NGOs representatives, members of the Consultative commission on the GMO were not given information about proposed ammendements which led to lack of any discussion of the proposed changes. The hot debate in media on the issue on GMO started with Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser visit in October 2009 and AGROLINK campaign on MON810 ban, now continues with debate on GMO bill. The Ministry of Environment has initiated the changes which has brought forth as an argument that Bulgarian law has to be harmonized with EU legislation. Main subjects discussed are the proposals to withdraw the texts referring to prohibition of:

• The deliberate release into the environment and the placing on the market of the following GMOs: tobacco, vine, damask rose, wheat, and all vegetable and fruits.
• The deliberate release of any GMOs into the areas included in the National Ecological Network within the meaning given by the Biological Diversity Act, as well as into the adjoining areas within a zone of 30 kilometers around any such areas.

Protection of organic farming from GMO contamination was also a hot topic. 

If the law has to be changed this should be towards protection of Bulgarian economic interests, environment and farmers’ rights. Instead of liberation the law, we have to join the EU countries which already banned MON810 based on many evidences of negative effects of this transgenic crop, said Svetla Nikolova, chairperson of AGROLINK Association.

[1] GMO Act http://www.moew.government.bg/index_e.html

[2]  http://forthenature.org/petitions/12

[3] http://grazhdani.eu/text_peticija_gmo.html 

Contact: Svetla Nikolova