Originally published July 23 2011
Hungary destroys illegal GM corn fields, plans to make distributing GMO seeds a felony
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Earlier in the week it was announced that every crop field in Hungary that was known to contain genetically-modified (GM) corn has been plowed under and destroyed. According to reports, GMO seeds are illegal in Hungary, and authorities have been working hard to ensure that no illegal plantings or sales of GMO seeds take place in the nation.
Hungary's deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar announced that, upon the recent discovery of roughly 1000 acres of illegal GM corn, all of these "frankencrops" were systematically destroyed. He also claimed that none of the pollen from the crops had spread, and that the government will continue to monitor seed distribution and crop plantings to ensure that no more GMOs are planted.
A new Hungarian law enacted back in March stipulates that before any new seeds are introduced into the market, they must first undergo checks to make sure they are free of GMOs. Seed traders are also required to personally verify that all of their products are free of GMOs before distributing them, especially due to the fact that GMO seeds from Monsanto and Pioneer, two large biotechnology companies, have been found unintentionally intermixed with natural seeds.
Unfortunately for many unwitting Hungarian farmers, the discovery of unknown GMOs in their fields came at a time when it was too late to replant new crops in time for this year's harvest. And any potential compensation paid by Monsanto or Pioneer as a result of the damages will likely go to the creditors of the seed company that provided them, which is now under liquidation.
It was announced shortly just days after these events that the Hungarian government plans to make distributing GMO seeds a felony. Since as many as 6,200 acres of crop land may have already been contaminated by the unintentional or careless planting of GMO seeds, authorities are cracking down as best they know how to keep Hungary GMO-free.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.allaboutfeed.net/news/hungary-des...
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/9077...
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