Philippine High Court Bans GMO Imports
The Philippine Supreme Court has reportedly invalidated a 2002 governmental regulation allowing the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) after Greenpeace and a farmer’s group challenged the field testing of a GMO eggplant (talong). The ruling affirms a lower court’s 2013 decision finding “no full scientific certainty yet as to the effects of Bt talong field trials to the environment and to the health of the people” and noting that existing regulations did not do enough to protect Philippine environment and health.
“This decision builds on a wave of countries in Europe rejecting [genetically engineered (GE)] crops, and is a major setback for the GE industry,” said a Greenpeace Philippines spokesperson in a December 11, 2015, press release. “The Philippines has been used as a model for GE regulatory policy around the world, but now we are finally making progress to give people a right to choose the food they want to eat and the type of agriculture they want to encourage.”
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala reportedly told Reuters the government will file a motion for reconsideration in the case. See Rappler, December 8, 2015; Reuters, December 17, 2015.
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