Bijdrage mili­eu­com­missie over de presen­tatie en gedach­te­wis­seling over bepa­lingen met betrekking tot de datum van toepassing van de ontbos­sings­ver­or­dening

Anja Hazekamp (PvdD):

The Amazon is burning more visibly then ever. And the outrage over the deforestation of invaluable ecosystems is growing worldwide. Yet, the Commission intends to authorise more genetically manipulated maize and soy varieties.

The painful irony of this, should be obvious for everyone: The Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado are being cleared to feed the enormous hunger of the EU’s intensive livestock industry.

The GMO maize and soy varieties that are grown on destroyed ecosystems in the Amazon, are precisely those which we are objecting to today.

I would like to ask the Commission: “Can you comment on the fact that these maize and soy varieties have been genetically manipulated to be resistant to glyphosate and glufosinate - herbicides?”

Is the Commission aware that - by authorizing these GMO's - it is stimulating the use of these dangerous herbicides?

And stimulating the same time the slash-and-burn type of agriculture which is responsible for the wildfires in the Amazon?

How does authorizing these GMO's fit in with the Commission's promise that the EU -in all its policies- will reduce the pressure on biodiversity worldwide?

And can the Commission comment on the fact that there is no democratic legitimacy in the authorisations of these GMO’s? The parliament has adopted dozens of objections against authorizing these GMO's. So, why don’t you finally stop these irresponsible authorisations?

They are going against all that we should be doing in the food system. We need a holistic transition to a toxic free and agro-ecological farming. The Commission’s authorisations will hinder this much needed change. So I do hope for the continues support of the colleagues to object to these authorisations and reauthorisations, and I urge the Commission to listen to the Parliament and to stop these harmful crops from our market and our ecosystem.