Switzerland to extend GMO moratorium by five years

Parliament wants to extend genetic engineering moratorium by five years Keystone-SDA

Swiss lawmakers want more time to discuss how to deal with new genetic engineering methods by extending a long-running moratorium.

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The Senate has voted to extend a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms, which has been in place since 2005, until the end of 2030.

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The Senate made its decision in the overall vote with no votes against and two abstentions. The Holuse of representatives had already approved the extension of the moratorium with a clear majority in the spring session.

The current moratorium is valid until the end of the current year. The bill was drafted by the House of Representative’s Committee for Science, Education and Culture on the basis of a parliamentary initiative.

It originally wanted the moratorium to be extended until the end of 2027. But the government argued in favour of a longer period of five years, which both chambers have now also agreed on.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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