French President Vows to Continue Ban on GM Corn Crops

According to news sources, French President François Hollande has said that the country will maintain its prohibition on growing genetically modified (GM) corn sold by Monsanto, despite a Council of State court ruling reversing the moratorium on the ground that it had little legal basis. The ban on MON810 corn has been in effect in France since February 2008 and was extended in 2012. The July 29, 2013, court ruling was the second to overturn the ban—the first ruling, in 2011, was also ignored by former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

While Monsanto was not a party, it said in response to the verdict, “The decision by the Conseil d’État is welcome support for a science- and evidence-based approach to GM crop policy in France and the EU. The decision confirms that farmers throughout the EU should have the right to use seeds that European authorities have approved for use throughout the union.” The European Commission apparently approved the corn for sale in 1998, and it is grown on a small scale in Spain and Portugal. See Law360 and phys.org/news, August 1, 2013; France 24, August 8, 2013.