Azerbaijani govt approves rules for studies on GMO risks
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday approved the rules for determining possible dangers posed by genetically modified plants identified in the country, local media reported.
The rules envision establishment of the Advisory Board of the Scientific and Technical Council, which will determine the areas of research relating to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) found in Azerbaijan.
GMO is the result of a genetic engineering process that involves the extraction or artificially forcing of genes from the DNA of one species into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The alien genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals and even humans.
The Advisory Board will include representatives of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the Ministries of Agriculture, Ecology and Natural Resources, and Health, as well as the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents.
When GMOs are detected in the country, a research team consisting of the Advisory Board members and highly qualified specialists and scientists is created.
According to the endorsed rules, the Advisory Board developed a comprehensive plan of work to identify possible risks, which must be approved by the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers are in charge of studying the impact of land planted with GMOs, crops grown nearby, elements of flora, honey bees and farm animals, wild animals, insects, and their products.
They are to conduct research in the laboratories of state agencies whose employees are members of the Advisory Board, which provides feedback on the measures taken to prevent the presumed dangers posed by GMOs.
Based on these studies the National Academy of Sciences is to approve the action plan, which is to be transferred for execution by the mentioned ministries and the state committee for standardization.
Local authorities and municipalities are to provide full assistance to the research team in receiving materials for analysis to determine potential GMO risks.
Although Azerbaijan has joined a number of world environmental conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000), genetically modified organisms (GMO) are widely spread in the country, Eyyub Huseynov, head of the Azerbaijani Free Consumers Union, says.
"Around 95 percent of tomatoes, 95 percent of watermelons and 40 percent of potatoes are genetically modified in Azerbaijan," Huseynov said.
About 98 percent of soya beans contain GMOs, said Huseynov. Soya is widely used in food and cosmetic industries.
Genetically modified products (GMP) were created to be used in countries facing the possibility of famine and poor land conditions, but Azerbaijan is not among such countries and senses no need for GMP.
The interest to genetically modified products increased in the late 1970s, while large-scale commercial sales of GMPs started in 1990. At that time GMPs were believed to be an escape from hunger and diseases in vulnerable parts of the world as they are easy to plant, cheaper, more nutritive and contain medicine and vaccines.
A lot has changed since that time, but GMOs are still widely used and sold around the world. According to the 2011 statistics, global plantings of genetically modified crops rose by 8 percent in 2011, taking the total area of biotech crops in the world to 160 million hectares.
The country with the biggest area of genetically modified crops is the United States (69 million hectares), followed by Brazil (30.3 million hectares) and Argentina (23.7 million hectares).