GMWatch Review 362

Philippines Supreme Court ban on GMOs a “major setback” for the GM industry

The Supreme Court of the Philippines has ordered a permanent ban on field trials of GM eggplant and a temporary halt on approving applications for the “contained use, import, commercialisation and propagation” of GM crops, including the import of GM products. The court ruled in favour of Greenpeace Southeast Asia and fellow campaigners in a major victory for Filipino farmers and activists. Virginia Benosa-Llorin, Ecological Agriculture Campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, called the ruling “a major setback for the GE industry”. It will affect GM golden rice, which is currently back at the R&D stage after proving a disappointment in field trials.