GM maize court case wraps up
SA farmers, and by extension farmers across Africa, are a step closer to a court decision on whether or not they can commercially grow GM maize.
A Cape Argus report notes that, after five years of protracted legal proceedings, the matter will be finalised in the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) today.
In 2017, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) lodged legal proceedings with the court to review and overturn the approval of Monsanto/Bayer’s GM drought-tolerant maize MON 86470 for commercial cultivation in SA.
The approval had come from the SA Executive Council: GMO Act, the GMO Appeal Board, and then the Forestry & Fisheries Minister.
The ACB argued there was insufficient data to demonstrate the claimed drought-tolerant benefit. When the trait was approved for commercial cultivation by the executive council, the ACB lodged an appeal against the decision.
The ACB’s 2017 appeal was unsuccessful and the approval for commercial release was confirmed prompting the ACB to approach the court for a review, supported by Legal Aid SA.
ACB director Mariam Mayet said: ‘Now, more than a year after legal proceedings closed and heads of argument were filed, we finally have our day in court. The best outcome anticipated by the ACB would be if the judgment leads to a reversal of the decision to approve the commercial cultivation of this trait, which would likely significantly hamper the continued push of these failed GM varieties on African countries too.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
