This was reported by the BBC a couple of hours ago and heard
by a colleague, Bart Hall-Byer, who is on the road over in
the Arkansas Delta. He paraphrased it and I transcribed it.
Thus, here you have a thirdhand account, but you'll get the
gist.
Paraphrased News Flash:
The European Commission has proposed a ban on the use of BST for
the next 7 years. The Commission stated that, in addition to
factors such as safety, efficacy, etc., studies should be
conducted on the social and ethical effects of introducing this
product.
Further, in proposing this ban, the Commission stated the decision
to introduce biotechnologies should also weigh the social impacts
and not be based on scientific criteria alone.
Prior to implementation of this ban, the Commission's proposal has
to be ratified by the Agricultural Ministers in a meeting upcoming
in September.
- end -
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