The Swedish Board of Agriculture has decided that the crops with genetically modified oil seed rape shall be destroyed.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture today came to a decision on an injunction to the farmers that this year has sown seed from the lots of the oil seed rape variety Hyola 38, that has an impurity of Roundup resistant rape seed.

The decision means that the crops must be destroyed by 7 July at the latest, unless a possible consent for a deliberate release has been given by the Board of Agriculture before that date.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture bases its decision on Chapter 13 section 12 in The Environmental Code (SFS 1998:808), which states that a consent shall be obtained for the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or the placing on the market of products containing or consisting of such organisms. According to the opinion of the Board of Agriculture, this means that even if the release was unintentional when the oil seed rape was sown, the grower is obliged to destroy the crop befor the seeds have matured.

The Board of Agriculture has opened for a possibility for farmers that for some reason don't want to destroy the crop, to apply for a consent. Consents may possibly be given to trials. With this opening, the Board of Agriculture takes into consideration the points that were given by the consultative body, the Gene Technology Advisory Board in their statement.

The decision means that the farmer is allowed to keep the oil seed rape crop until flowering. The reason behind the chosen time, is that this genetically modified oil seed rape is male sterile, and therefore only produces insignificant quantities of pollen. In this way, the farmer can get the area payment and keep his planned crop rotation. To wait with the destruction of the crop until flowering also means reduced risks for leakage of nutrients from the fields.

    - The Swedish Board of Agriculture has received a wide support for the decision we have made, from the authorities and organisations that have been consulted in this case. Our decision means that we fully pay regard to the environmental aspects while we at the same time don't cause the affected farmers unnecessary difficulties. So says the Director General of the Board of Agriculture, Ms Ingbritt Irhammar, and continues:

    - The security measures for trials with genetically modified plants are rigorous. For that reason it's important that we don't compromise with the security requirements in this case. As I have stated earlier, we must be able to trust that something that is stated as "GMO free" really is just that, it's a matter of uprightness.

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