BERLIN (AP)—German lawmakers Friday approved a measure to protect consumers from accidentally buying genetically modified food, a reaction to the spread of biotech crops in a skeptical Europe.
The law creates a federal register of farmland where genetically modified plants are grown and threatens penalties against farmers who fail to abide by the rules. The aim is to separate conventional and modified crops.
The European Union lifted a 6-year moratorium on new biotech foods last month by allowing onto the E.U. market a modified, insect-resistant strain of sweet corn, developed by Swiss-based Syngenta AG (SYNN.VX) and grown mainly in the U.S.
Consumer Protection and Agriculture Minister Renate Künast said strict conditions will shield conventional and organic agriculture in Germany from the "creeping dominance" of modified crops.
She said Germany was among the first E.U. countries to provide legal protection for non-modified crops. Data in the farmland register will be kept for 15 years.
The law was passed by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's governing coalition in the lower house.
The conservative opposition criticized the new rules, saying they are too harsh and cause unnecessary anxiety over genetically modified crops.
To let consumers make their choice, Europe-wide labeling rules for food containing genetically modified ingredients took effect in April.
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