Is Hungary About to Ban All GMO Crops?

The EU Parliament recently supported new legislation that would allow member states to ban genetically modified organisms, and it looks as though Hungary might be the first country to use the new regulations to ban the cultivation of GMO crops.

“Hungary could be the first to introduce the new European Union regulations allowing countries to ban the cultivation of GMO crops,” a Ministry of Agriculture’s official told Hungarian news agency MTI in Berlin.

Frédérique Ries (ALDE, BE), who helped steer the legislation through parliament said earlier this year:

“This agreement will ensure more flexibility for member states who wish to restrict the cultivation of the GMOs in their territory. It will, moreover, signpost a debate which is far from over between pro- and anti-GMO positions.”

The agreement passed with EU ministers approving it by 480 votes, to 159 (with 58 abstentions).

Hungary’s statement follows the “GMO-free Europe” conference. In it, the Farm Ministry also stated its intent to work on introducing a new labeling system that would be in effect by the end of the year which would allow meat, eggs, milk, fish, and honey (along with produce) to be labeled as GMO-FREE if they met certification requirements.

Árpád Rácz reminded the world that keeping the country GMO-free is included in Hungary’s constitution.

As past actions show, Hungary is no stranger to suppressing GMOs. Back in 2011, Natural Society reported on how Hungary destroyed 1000 acres of genetically modified crops – an article that received over 220,000 Facebook shares, ranking it among the most shared articles of the year.

Hungary is also interested in helping as many EU member states to become GMO free as possible. Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas has launched the “Alliance for a GMO-free Europe” initiative to ensure this is a probability.

We congratulate Hungary and their government officials for ensuring that families have access to an untainted, non-GMO food supply. All EU member states, and other countries around the world that have yet to ban GMOs should follow their shining example.