November 19 2002, 15:28 APK-Inform

Ukrainian Green Party calls on deputies to vote down GMO bill

Ukrainian Green Party has initiated a round table discussion to obtain expert assessment of the bill, entitled "About State System of Bio-Security in Development, Testing and Practical Utilisation of Genetically Modified Organisms." Meanwhile, the party calls on parliamentarians to vote the bill down. Should it be approved, even in the first reading, the Greens are leaving themselves a right for radical actions.

The bill, entitled "About State System of Bio-Security during Activities in Gene Engineering", was submitted for vote to the 3rd Summon of Verkhovna Rada on January 18, 2001, but was overruled for lack of 19 votes from Greens. On October 23 this year it was submitted to the Parliament session again, just with changed name.

The Greens, dissatisfied with the bill, have produced an alternative one, named "About Bio-Safety of Genetically Modified Organisms and Products, Produced on Their Base." However, they are now unable to place it on the Parliament's agenda, as they appeared outside of Verkhovna Rada, having not overcome the 4-percent barrier for political parties on the parliamentary elections this March.

Academician Vitaly Kordyu - a specialists in molecular biology and genetics - who has participated as an expert in the round table meeting, organised by the Greens, has said that imports of GM products to the country is first of all dangerous for its economy. GMO-based products are much cheaper and their quality is higher. Such products could make competition to domestically produced ones, which might later result in Ukraine's dependence on availability of such products. Final conclusions about threats of GM-products to human health, though, cannot be done at the moment by anybody, as this can become clear only in the future.

Currently, there are no regulations of genetically modified products imports to Ukraine. Ukraine's legislation has neither permit nor ban for such exports.