Russia banned GMO cultivation and breeding

Almaty. July 7. Silkroadnews – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to ban the cultivation and breeding of genetically modified plants and animals, except in cases where they will be used in testing and scientific research, TASS reports.

“The law bans the import of GMOs designed for release into environment, products containing GMOs or produced using GMOs into the territory of Russia. According to the document, importers of genetically modified products should pass mandatory registration procedures,” statement says.

The legislation also sets administrative responsibility for using the GMO without due registration or breaching the law, from about 10 thousand to 50 thousand rubles for officials and from 100 thousand up to 500 thousand rubles for legal entities.

Genetically modified organisms are generated using genetic engineering techniques. One organism’s genes are placed into another gene to impart new features (frost- and drought- resistance, pest-resistance, long-term storage characteristics, so on). It reduces production costs significantly. The major transgenic crops used as raw materials are soybean, rape, potatoes and maize. Another important aspect of GMO is its use in medicine and pharmaceutics (genetically engineered insulin, interferon).