In the focus of Serbian public attention these days is the topic of genetically modified organisms, which also ended up being discussed in the Serbian Assembly. The opinions are divided with regards to the impact of genetic engineering on the living environment and health, but the consensus is that not enough attention has been paid to this subject and better research is necessary. Ranka Pavlovic has more.
The prevailing belief among scientists is that traffic in genetically modified plants needs not be strictly controlled, stated Nevena Nagl, an expert from the Institute of Farming in Novi Sad. The food produced through the processing of GMO is probably already in local shops, imported from the countries where labeling of those products is not mandatory. “I believe that the possibility of import should be left, since genetically modified plants could be of great benefit for the population”, says Nagl. However, regions should be allowed the right of choice, i.e. to ban the growing of such organisms, if they believe it to better contribute to the local economy and health.
Director of the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering Ljubisa Topisirovic stresses that those organisms enable the solving of many problems that humanity is facing, but that their abuse is dangerous. The main issue here is food, which is a matter of choice, and genetic engineering is primarily aimed at curing people, making safe drugs, vaccines etc. “We in the institute are very interested in this field of work, having a laboratory that is accredited in line with world requirements, which is where we control everything that is imported”, explains Topisirovic. With regards to GMO, the last thing that needs to be discussed is food. “I do not have enough information on whether it is harmful or not, because there has not been enough time to see the effects, either positive or negative. We are unaware that we are already consuming food full of chemicals, such as preservatives, artificial colors etc”, he underlined.
“GMOs are without doubt useful in medicine, but when it comes to food production, the situation is not clear”, says Aleksandar Trbovic from the Serbian Medical Society. In the USA 70% of food is genetically modified, while soy is genetically modified in 95% of world countries. In Serbia, soy belongs among organic foods, which raises its price, and this soy is used by the Nestlé factories. “Being unsure about the safety of such food myself, I would vote against it until the opposite has been proven”, warned Trbovic.
President of the Serbian “Green Movement” Ivan Karic invited representatives of the local self rule bodies, cities and municipalities in Serbia to pass their declarations and declare their territories GMO-free zones. That way, we would join the representation bodies in the EU that have already such zones, like Bavaria in Germany and Styer region in Austria. At the moment there is the promise of the Vojvodina provincial government that it will be the first GMO-free territory. The Green Movement expects the MPs in the Republican Assembly as well to support their declaration, which aims to declare the entire country a free zone, thus joining many parts of the world. Namely, 19 of 27 EU countries, do not accept the production of and trade in GMO, while only six have a license for cultivation.
Source Int. Radio Serbia
