EU approved GMO crops under enormous US pressure – American author

22 Dec, 2010 11:50 / Updated 13 years ago

More than a million people have now signed a petition calling for a complete ban on the use of genetically modified crops in Europe. It comes after last summer’s decision by the EU to allow the growing of some GMO crops.

It has led to accusations that the US, which is the world's major player in the industry, put pressure on the EU. William Engdahl, author of “Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of GMO”, says the pressure was enormous.“George W. Bush went to the WTO in 2003 and pressed a suit against the EU for blocking the licensing and approval of GMO crops,” he says. “The US government has made the spread of GMO seeds a national security priority. It’s tantamount to the export of defense weapons to the Pentagon, and for the US budget it’s a national security export sector – agro business, and especially GMO seeds from Monsanto and company.”“So, the pressure on the EU, I know from direct reports out of Brussels and from intelligence networks, grassroots farmers and political people across Europe, is enormous. There’s corruption in the European Food Safety Authority, the EFSA."