Russia

Updates + Overviews

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Belgorod (South), Moscow, Kostroma (Central Russia), Nizhniy Novgorod (Volga basin), Kurgan (Trans-Urals) are GMO free regions (adopted regulations restricting the distribution of GMOs). Several others are in process of doing so.

Russia still remains GMO-free. According to the official information there is no growing of GM-plants in Russia for commercial purposes. So far the Federal Environmental Assessment Commission has not adopted any commercialized GM varieties for agricultural use. But recent (summer 2012) WTO joining will soon may ruin GMO free status of the country. First steps on this way have already been undertaken. In year 2012 Moscow rejected GMO free labeling, because “it does not fall within federal legislation” (there is no GMO free labeling in federal legislation). Independent experts and activists are sure that the real reason is WTO membership.

All this will lead to undermining of GMO free status of Moscow which emerged in a year 2007 in Food Safety Law (prohibiting GM-content in budget funded food supply for municipal organizations and introducing municipally funded GMO free labeling), as a result of civil society campaign. Russian NGOs and likeminded regional parliament members are trying to influence the situation.

Their main argument is that in the absence of organic legislation Russian consumers do not have any choice and they cannot be sure that buy GMO free products. “All this may lead to the rejection of all GMO free initiatives at regional level. Moscow and 4 other regions developed and introduced GMO free regulations, several others claimed that they plan to do so” – comments Victoria Kopeykina, secretary of the CIS Alliance for Biosafety.

(Update: 01.09.2012)

 

 

 

News from the CIS Alliance for Biosafety (English)

Russia still remains GMO-free. According to the official information there is no growing of GMOs in Russia for commercial purposes. So far the Federal Environmental Assessment Commission has not adopted any commercialised GM varieties for agricultural use. IIt is prohibited to import of meat and meat products derived from GMO fed animals is banned, but at the same time it is legal to import GM-feed.
60% of food import contains GMOs (Monastyrskiy, 2004).

Organisations and institutions active on GMO

Eremurus Club / The CIS Biosafety Alliance (English/Russian)
GMO-free-Caucasus (English/ Russian/Georgian)
Greenpeace Russia (English)
Irina Ermakova (English)
All-Russian Association on Genetic Safety
International Socio-Ecological Union (English)

Presentations

GMO-free Moscow, by Lyudmilla Stebenkova, Moscow-Duma, Planet Diversity Conference, May 2008: Audio File (mp3, 3 MB, English)   Presentation (pdf, 1,3 MB, English)

GMO free Regions in Russia, source: biosafety-russia

Legal documents

Law On State Regulation Of Genetic Engineering (1996, English).
Consumer Law (December 2004 г. – GMO in food products content must be labeled, threshold is not mentioned).
Law On State Environmental Assessment (1995)
Law On Protection of Environment (2002, GMOs are subject to a mandatory environmental assessment).
Veterinary-Sanitary Requirements of Agriculture Ministry (1999, ban on import of meat produced from GMO fed animals)
Political and strategic documents: Ecological Doctrine of Russia (August 2002); Priorities of State Biosafety
Russia did not sign Cartagena Biosafety Protocol.

Other background information

GM-Free food to be labelled in Moscow (Feb 2007)
A brief overview of the Russian Federation GE-free perspective, by Victoria Kolesnikova - Eremerus
GMOs in Russia, by Victoria Kolesnikova - Eremerus, January 2005
US Department of Agriculture: Annunal Agricultural Biotech Report