Romania to present clear position on the cultivation of GMOs

Romania will present a clear position on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) at the meeting of European Union environmental ministers scheduled for March 8-9 in Brussels, Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Stelian Fuia reports.

'We will have a debate in the Government on this issue ahead of the March 8-9 meeting in Brussels of the EU environmental ministers about the cultivation of GMOs. Currently, MON 810 maize is being cultivated on just a small area in Romania - less than 500 hectares in 2011 - and this variety has been approved for growing and release to the market in other European countries as well. Romania has legislation that requires the oversight and labelling of genetically modified foods,' Fuia said in replay to a media question about Romania's stance on Denmark's proposal to make the use of GMOs easier in all the EU countries.

Fuia pointed out that Europe consumes GMO foods and other products, as it imports more than 30 million tonnes of genetically modified soybeans and products thereof form countries beyond the oceans where such crops are farmed.

Asked if he is a supporter of the genetically modified crops, Fuia said his is a political position and it would be inappropriate for him to publicly say what he feels about this issue.

'I have said very clearly that as long as they are regulated they should be considered the same as drugs are. We are talking here about legislation and regulations. If a product is certified following stages of testing and evaluation and its food safety is certified and there is a decision for its release to the markets, it should be all right,' said Fuia.

Fuia stated last week that Romania will take a similar stance if the European legislation allows the cultivation of genetically modified organisms. At his hearing for the office of minister, Fuia said he used and will anytime use genetically modified products, provided they meet legal requirements.

Fuia worked eight years with the US company Monsanto, a GMO producer, as a regional executive.

Former Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabara, himself a big advocate of the GMOs and biotechnologies, believes the soybean to be an important step forward toward strengthening Romania's exports capabilities, as such soybean may be exported all over the world, less so to the US and Brazil.

'Romania's annual consumption of soybeans is nearly 500,000 tonnes. If we step up production to over 1.5 million tonnes, you can see what export reserves of soybean alone we will have,' Tabara told a seminar on GMOs in April 2011.

He added that Romania's annual losses as a result of not growing genetically modified soybean after 2007 near 1 billion euros.

In 2011, Romanian farmers requested the European Parliament the right to cultivate genetically modified soybeans to get vegetal proteins for animal feeding and also for biodiesel production.