Norway

GMO news related to Norway

Updates + Overviews

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Due to the Gene Technology Act, none GMOs are grown or sold in Norway. In addition, one county in Norway, Oppland, is declared GMO-free.

(Updated in Aug 2014: All the information on the Norway page is provided by Network of GMO-free foods and animal feed)

Seeds from genetically modified (GM) plants can currently not be accepted for storage in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. According to Norwegian national legislation, the import to and storage of GMO seeds in Norway requires, inter alia, approval in advance from Norwegian authorities and storage in a “contained use” facility meeting certain standards.

Organisations and institutions active on GMO

In 2009, the organisations active on GMO in Norway have established a network organisation, called «Nettverk for GMO-fri mat og fôr» (in English: Network for GMO-free food and animal feed). A plattform is worked out for the network. 17 organisations are at the moment members in this network. The secretariat for the network is rotated between the member organisations. From 2014 the secretariat is located at OIKOS' office. Coordinator is Regine Andersen. The member organisastions are (alphabetic order, language in italic):

Biologisk-dynamisk Forening Norwegian

COOP Handel Norge (grocery store chain) Norwegian
Debio (organisation for organic certificatin) Norwegian/ English

Framtiden i våre hender/ The Future in Our Hands Norwegian/ English
Greenpeace Norwegian/ English
Natur og Ungdom/ Nature and Youth (Young Friends of the Earth) Norwegian/ English
Norges Birøkterlag (Beekeepers organisation) Norwegian
Norges Bondelag/ The Norwegian Farmers' Union) Norwegian/ English
Norges Bygdekvinnelag/ The Norwegian Sosiety of Rural Women Norwegian/ English
Norges Bygdeungdomslag Norwegian
Norsk Bonde-og Småbrukarlag/ Norwegian Farmers' and Smallholders' Union Norwegian/ English
Norsk Landbrukssamvirke Norwegian
Norges Miljøvernforbund/ Green Worriers of Norway Norwegian
Norges Naturvernforbund/ Friends of the Earth, Norway Norwegian/ English
Oikos/ Organic Norway Norwegian/ English
Spire, Utviklingsfondets ungdomsorganisasjon/ The Development Funds' Youth Organisation Norwegian/ English
Utviklingsfondet/ The Development Fund Norwegian/ English

Activities

Two meetings a year, where the 17 organisations are represented.

"Sowing the Future" (GMO-free seed-actions). Three arrangements in 2014.

Responses to requests (from the government) for comments.

Publications

«Nytt om GMO»

Network for GMO-free food and animal feed publishes a leaflet with news about GMO, 10-15 numbers each year, ment for members of the organisastions. The content is mainly in Norwegian. Editor is Sidsel Børresen.

Regine Andersen, Oikos
Sidsel.Børresen, Naturvernforbundet