Three GMO soybeans available in Ireland

Published by Marie-Amélie Brun on July 25, 2016July 25, 2016

July 25th, 2016

GMOs are a hot topic when it comes to agriculture. Praised or despised they have a growing importance in our every day lives. The European Union has managed to protect European soils from GMO crops, however the importation of products is becoming easier. Largely used to feed cattle, GMOs are now going to be commercialised for human consumption.

Friday, the European Commission authorised the commercialisation and importation of three new GMO products. Soybean MON 87708 x MON 89788, soybean MON 87705 x MON 89788 and soybean FG 72. They will be used to feed animals but also humans in food preparation.

The three products are glyphosate and dicamba herbicides resistant and their authorisation will last for 10 years.

The European Food Safety Authority gave its approval to the three products while the European Commission highlights how “any products produced from these GMOs will be subject to the EU’s strict labeling and traceability rules”

Monsanto is the one comercialising the soybean, it is a major advance for the company in the European market.
Environmental groups are expected not to be so thrilled about the news. Earlier this year, when Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company offered Monsanto 62 billions dollars for its company, the news had already brought back defiance against the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company and protest all over the world had been organised.

Indeed, this merger would have a great impact on the world, as the two companies would form the largest seed and pesticide company of the world. Creating even more dependence on seeds that are commercialised by both of them. According to the website Seeddaily the merger would create a company owning 29% of the world’s seed market and 24% of the pesticide one. Anne Isakowitsch, from Sum of Us, declared at the time that it was a way to get into the European market.
For thousands of years, farmers have been cultivating and taking care of their own seeds, every year taking part of the crop to create a new seed for the next year. This pattern is changing now as seeds are considered as intellectual properties and that farmers have to repurchase them every year. A control over agriculture has already damaged populations such as in India for example.
The appearance of GMO products in our market can be interpreted as a first step to implement GMO cultures in Europe. This topic is likely to be studied particularly with the TTIP and CETA’s negotiations currently ongoing.

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