Due to the fast spread of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the world Belarus and Russia need to step up control over the circulation of GMO, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko said at the Forum of Belarusian and Russian Regions in Minsk on 5 June. According to the Speaker, the sides need to toughen the terms of import of genetically modified products, ban the use of GMO in baby food, step up control over the import of crop seeds. “It is obvious that the GMO problem is global,” Valentina Matviyenko stressed. Therefore, interested agencies (first of all, the Agriculture Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the Foreign Ministry) can prepare a draft resolution to set up a group of experts together with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization and submit it to the UN General Assembly. The working group will develop recommendations regarding the use of new genetically modified food sources, study the long-term effect of GMO on people's health. According to Valentina Matviyenko, both Belarusian and Russian agricultural companies should organize large-scale production of environmentally-friendly organic products which are very popular worldwide nowadays. “We also must protect consumers from low-quality and faked agricultural produce,” Valentina Matviyenko continued. The Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia pointed out the importance of regional cooperation for the development of Belarus-Russia relations. She emphasized that Russian economic operators are interested in cooperation with Belarusian regions. Therefore, delegations of Russian regions take an active part in the forum.
Written by belta.by
