Agricultural groups have sparked concerns over a newly approved Biological Safety Bill, saying it will have a highly detrimental impact on Thailand’s food security through widespread Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) contamination of farm crops.

 

The move follows cabinet approval on Wednesday 25 November of the bill proposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment. The bill will now to pass to the National Legislative Assembly for final consideration. If the bill is officially approved, it will come into force one year after being published in the Royal Gazette.

 

Witoon Lianchamroon, Director of the Biothai Foundation, said that the bill would exempt GMO operators from any responsibility for contamination damage, because it does not provide sufficient penalties for people who cause the spread of GMOs onto other land and contaminate crops.

 

“The bill would penalize only GMO experimental procedures but it never addresses the issue of contamination. This is a big risk for the future of Thailand’s agriculture,” he said.

 

He also added that some groups, especially giant GMO companies, would benefit from enactment of the bill. 

 

Praphat Panyachatrak, President of the National Farmers Council and former Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said the bill would have an immense effect on the Thai agricultural sector because if there was contamination, farmers could face legal action for infringing GMO copyright and patents.

 

This week, the Council, which consists of agriculturists nationwide, and the Biothai Foundation will submit a letter to the government, urging them to postpone the bill and calling for the government to set up a special committee to amend the bill.

 

Meanwhile, the bill’s approval by the cabinet has drawn criticism from several governmental bodies because of its economic effect. The Ministry of Commerce said that strict legislation on GMO contamination is crucial as it would play a role in controlling and limiting GMO products, because they are still seen widely across the country nowadays.

 

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board also expressed concerns, saying that the bill should make entrepreneurs responsible for widespread GMO contamination of farmlands. It also indicated that GMO products should not be imported or exported without cabinet approval.

 

Wanlop Pichpongsa, Secretary-General of the Thai Organic Trade Association, said that the major export markets, including the EU and Japan, would be less confident about whether products are GMO-free and this will affect the image of Thailand’s agricultural exports. 

 

To build confidence in Thai products, Thailand will have to provide labels guaranteeing that products are not mixed with GMO material. This will increase companies’ production costs, he added.