Philippines Supreme Court rules against GMO

Field trials of genetically modified (GMO) eggplant are now permanently banned in the Philippines, according to a new ruling handed down by the country’s Supreme Court. According to New Europe, the ruling also sets a temporary halt on approving applications for the “contained use, import, commercialisation and propagation” of GMO crops, including the import of GMO products. The decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines invalidates the Department of Agriculture’s Administrative Order No. 08-2002 (DAO8) and will bar the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Science and Technology from issuing any GE approvals, pending crafting and approval of a new administrative order. It will also impact the trade of GE crops and products.

As reported by the online news site EcoWatch, the court ruled in favor of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, as well as several Filipino activists, academics and politicians, in a major victory for Filipino farmers and activists around the world.

“This decision builds on a wave of countries in Europe rejecting genetically engineered crops and is a major setback for the GE industry,” Virginia Benosa-Llorin, Ecological Agriculture campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines , was quoted as saying by EcoWatch.