The Senate on Wednesday agreed – in line with the House of Representatives – the final details of an amended law which will be valid up to November 2013.
The law was initially approved in 2005 for a limited period of time to allow a national research programme to examine the possible risks and benefits of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Opponents of the moratorium, particularly members of the centre-right Radical Party and the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, said it would hurt Switzerland’s position as a research centre.
However, supporters pointed out during debates in parliament this week that research with GMOs remains permitted, including field trials at the Federal Institute of Technology and Zurich University.
The government, which came out in favour of an extension, said Swiss agriculture could benefit from its GMO-free status.
The final report of the scientific study will be available by 2012.
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Cabinet calls for GMO-free agriculture
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Voters approved a five-year blanket ban in a nationwide ballot in 2005, but research remains permitted. Parliament is to debate the government proposal. The Federal Environment Office said the current moratorium had had no adverse impact on farming or research in Switzerland, and Swiss agriculture could benefit from its GMO-free status. Results of a national…
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The announcement comes just weeks before the debate on GM crops is due to resume in parliament. Swiss fields have remained GM free since the early 1990s when modified potatoes were planted. Two other requests to grow GM crops outdoors were thrown out in 1999. A similar line was taken last November, when the Federal…
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But experts say there is no standard definition of what is considered “damage to the environment”. All sides in the debate agree there is more work to be done. “This is a good start, these results from this first exploration,” Maya Graf, a Green Party parliamentarian, told swissinfo. “It is clear though that further exploration…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.