GM crops pose a huge threat

Stavros Dimas has finally got the courage to say what many people in the European Union think and whom he needs to protect: that the possible risks for the environment of growing genetically modified (GM) crops are not assessed in the EU or elsewhere in the world (‘Dimas at loggerheads with colleagues over GM maize', 31 October-7 November). The logical conclusion of this is that no GM plant should be cultivated before we are fully aware of the risks for the environment.
The EU should develop proper assessment methods that take into account the effects on the environment, not just for the life-span of the crop considered.
The EU should not be rushed into accepting GMOs only because the US, which is under the influence of powerful agro companies, wants them. Dimas should defend this position in the future and make sure he is not accepting more and more authorisations for GM crops under pressure from either the more liberal-minded among his colleagues or the member states.
Europe's choice must be precaution: the precautionary principle should be applied with no exception. Biodiversity and the possibility to have a choice of whether or not you want to cultivate GM crops are almost as import-ant as climate change. If we are not careful, GM crops could wipe out plants that have fed thousands of generations of humans.

Adèle Dupin
Brussels