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Pratini says transgenic soybeans depend on the courts (Aug. 9, 2001 -- CropChoice news) -- The following article is from the Brazilian press.
Agência Estado, Wednesday, 08 August 2001
http://www.estadao.com.br/agestado/noticias/2001/ago/08/207.htm
Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, Pratini de Moraes, today alleged pending
suits in federal courts to justify his government's retreat on the promise
made two weeks ago to authorize the planting of Monsanto's transgenic
soybean, "Roundup Ready".
Ever since the Public Prosecutor's Office went to court to sue the minister
over his declarations in favor of genetically-modified soybeans and his
promise to authorize planting, Pratini has avoided commenting on the
matter.
Today, before anouncing the government's 2001-2002 Farm Plan at a seminar
on crop outlooks organized by the National Agriculture Confederation, he
said that the release of transgenic soybeans is up to the National
Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio), and that all the Agriculture
Ministry does is to register seed varieties.
Court decisions have prohibited the planting of transgenic soybeans since
1999. Two weeks ago, the Agriculture Ministry argued that a Dec. 2000
executive decree (MP 2137) gave the CTNBio powers that would supercede
those decisions, which have now returned to the Minister's agenda of
outstanding problems.
Jane Miklasevicius | |
