France - GM crops

GM food law hits stumbling block

Article published on the 2008-05-14 Latest update 2008-05-14 12:28 TU

Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo reads the GM food law in the National Assembly.
(Photo : AFP)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposed law on genetically modified foods faced a surprise set-back Tuesday when a Communist member of parliament took advantage of a nearly-empty chamber to send the bill, in its second reading, back to committee for study before it could be passed.

With a single vote making the difference, Communist MP Andre Chassaigne was joined by many Socialists, Greens and a significant number of members of the majority UMP to send the law back to the drawing board.

The sanction represents a set-back for Sarkozy’s government which has seen slackening discipline amongst its parliament members.

The law has been variously criticised for being both too lax and too strict and is proving to be a thorn in the side of Sarkozy’s government, especially after big promises following last year’s environmental roundtable.

Genetically modified organisms are a divisive subject in France, where agricultural groups have burned crops and demanded far stricter controls than exist in Britain or the United States.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon said he would convene a committee made up of members of the government and the opposition to try to find a compromise and avoid public embarrassment on an issue that Sarkozy has pledged to take action on.

Junior Minister for Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet made headlines last month when she publicly criticised amendments made to the law. She claimed that they watered it down and “betrayed” the spirit of promises made by Sarkozy during the Environmental Roundtable last autumn.

She was reprimanded by her party and publicly retracted her statements the same day but not before sparking media discussion of Sarkozy losing control of his own ministers.