You are here

Venezuela Ban GMO Crops And Seeds

Venezuela have passed a new law in December 2015 that effectively bans GMOs from the country.  The law imposes one of the toughest regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the world. The anti-GMO law was approved by the National Assembly of Venezuela, and passed by popular demand. Ecowatch.com reports: Today, the new opposition coalition—the Roundtable of Democratic Unity—will take over. Venezuela Passes Law Banning GMOs, by Popular Demand https://t.co/DZNlE8Cy0u #GMO pic.twitter.com/v8AXQk5tKn — Fight Against GMOS (@FightAgainstGMO) January 1, 2016 The Seed Law seeks to consolidate national food sovereignty, regulate the production of hybrid seed, and rejects the production, distribution and import of GMO seeds, according toGMWatch. The law will also ban transgenic seed research. The law will establish the National Seed System, a central body that will implement the new law. The group will monitor and sanction any agricultural violations, with a focus on the protection of traditional seeds, teleSUR reported. The legislation, which comes after years of collective grassroots efforts, was promptly signed by Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. “Approval of the Seed Law was pending since last year after being proposed through a national dialogue process in 2013,” teleSUR reported. “Public consultations have sought popular input on the law, and campesinos [farmers] and [...]