gmo romania, grune woche berlin 2006

January 2006 Dragos Dima Berlin, Germany

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS:

THE BEGINNING OF THE END?


Genetically Modified Organismsin Romania

“ Nobody has the right to commit the sacrilege to modify the genetic code.…

The Sin whatever is happening under our eyes with the Governments’ approvaland money - with our money actually - because is not far away the day whenthe biologist will start trafficking the genes and chromosomes.

…As no human power is intervening to stop this, on the contrary declaring it

scientific activity and progress, the consequences of these activities areincalculable.”

Robert Charroux, The Book of Mysterious Past1973, Robert Laffont edition


Romania: GMO Beginnings

1996: Started the 3 years registration procedure for GM field varieties1999: First GM crop commercial crop was launched on the market -

herbicide resistant soybeans2000: First GMO legislation had been adopted for release in the field, no

food labeling, no monitoring, inspection and traceability

• GM field crops presence in the National Seed Variety Catalogue:1999: one GM soybeans variety; one GM potato variety2000: two GM soybeans varieties; one GM potato variety; one GM

sugar-beet variety; eight GM maize hybrids2003: ten GM soybeans varieties


Romania: GMO BeginningsConsiderations:

• At the time GM crops have been introduced in the field (1999),Romania had no legislation with respect to GMO (the first legislationhad been adopted in 2000)

• Romania was not prepared to administrate GM technology fromagronomic, economic and legal point of view

• Precaution Principle totally neglected in approaching GMO

• Desynchronized with EU - moratorium introduction

• No monitoring and control system designed for GMO

• No public information and participation (still missing even today)


Romania: GMO Present Situation• Romania is the only European country allowing the cultivation of herbicide

resistant GM crops on large scale• 2005: Out of 120000 Ha of GM soybeans the Ministry of Agriculture is reporting

85000 Ha while the biotech companies are reporting only 40000 Ha• Huge acreage of GM soybeans planted with non-certified seed (70000 - 80000 Ha)• Lack of GMO specialized officials in different governmental institutions: Ministry of

Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Environment Protection Agencies,Environmental National Guard, Consumer Protection National Authority, SanitaryNational Agency, Agriculture and Farmer Organizations, Food IndustryOrganizations etc.: No certified testing laboratories (PCR or similar); Nomonitoring, inspection and control; No GMO inspectors

• Unclear responsibilities in regulating, monitoring and controlling GM food:Consumer Protection National Authority or Sanitary National Agency?


Romania: GMO Present Situation• Despite the cultivation of GM crops and their presence on the market, there

is no public awareness about GMO• There are no functional mechanisms to enable public access to information

on environmental releases of GMO and no procedures for publicconsultation

• EU GMO legislation not fully translated and implemented• EU accession will pose problems in applying CAP• Romanian food industry will be under threat due to lack of labeling and

traceability• Romania pharmaceutical industry will be jeopardized by the lack of any

GMO legislation, labeling and traceability• Due to the fact that GM herbicide resistant soybeans is not approved in EU,

the member states and EC will put Romania “under fire” if planting willcontinue


Romania: GMO Statistics

Ha/Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007

SoyTotal Ha

(Min. of Ag.)99,800 117,000 44,800 71,800 128,800 122,400 140,000

70,650(EU reference

acreage)

GM SoyTotal Ha

(Min. of Ag.)15500 32,200 17,300 31,100 39,600 58,100 85,000 ?

GM SoyTotal Ha(ISAAA)

NA NA NA NA > 50,000 100,000 NA ?

GM SoyTotal Ha(Biotech

companies)

NA NA NA NA NA 31,780 40,000 ?


GMO Romania: What is to be done?• The recent EU Country Report - end of October 2005 - shows that Romania

needs to intensify its efforts with respect to GMO in order to be ready for EUaccession in 2007. Legislation must be adopted and implemented with respectto traceability, labeling, monitoring and inspection. Romania must develop atleast 3 certified PCR laboratories for GMO test.

• The commercialization of GM crops could also have important social andeconomic impact as Romania loses it export markets for agricultural and foodproducts in the European Union (EU), where consumers are demanding GMO-free food.

• As Romania pro-GMO position has already posed problems in Europe, speciallyin the Balkan Region, the country will have to decontaminate itself fromunapproved GM varieties and put in place working systems on releases of GMOand on food labeling.

• The decontamination process is likely to take several years and Romania maybecome a test-case for whether GM crop-plant decontamination is possible atall.


GMO Romania: What is to be done?

• Romania is a European country and must be a reliable and crediblemember of EU family

• Romanian citizens are willing to act as European citizens• Romania needs EU and your help and guidance in re-approaching

and administrating the sensitive GMO situation

• Please do offer your unconditional support to Romanian public andauthorities in managing the GMO problem

gmo romania, grune woche berlin 2006

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