“We do not want to encourage the use of chemicals” – minister

On 23 June 2015, the Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs Sven-Erik Bucht received sufficient support at the environmental and agricultural committee for the government to adopt a new GMO position.

The Swedish government’s new GMO position highlights that the government could possibly reach a different conclusion from the expert authorities in EU concerning a genetically modified crop to be approved for cultivation or not. If the GM crop is linked to the use of the herbicide glufosinate ammonium, Sweden will vote no.

The government may also choose to vote no on the cultivation of GM crops, which leads to the use of extraordinarily high levels of pesticides, even if the expert authorities do not foresee any environmental or health risks with the GMO.

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According to the Swedish Chemicals Agency, it is illegal to sell or use glufosinate ammonium herbicide in Sweden. Back in 2009, the chemical company Bayer recalled its glufosinate product Basta. Since 1 January 2011, sales of the herbicide by the company to retailers has been forbidden. Since 1 January 2012 it has been forbidden to sell the herbicide to end users. The use of the herbicide has been forbidden in Sweden since 1 January 2013.

Lantmannen highlighted the severity of the European Union's opposition to genetically modified foods by revealing that it had closed down feed production capacity after the discovery of biotech rapeseed meal. The Swedish agriculture and food co-operative said that it was taking action against the, unnamed, supplier of the rapeseed meal, after routine internal tests discovered ”traces” of genetically modified material. ”The raw material comes from a reputable supplier that guarantees GM-free product,” Lantmannen said.

The maize batch was checked in its own control program for GMOs, and a test showed it contained too high a level of GM material to qualify as a GMO-free product. Interested customers are informed and all further use of maize as GM-free is stopped. 

Lantmännen’s own supervision system discovered a batch of maize with an excessive content of GMO to qualify as a GMO-free product. Up to 0.9% GMOs are permitted in a GMO-free raw material and in our control, we have measured 3.9% contamination.

The maize batch was checked in its own control program for GMOs, and a test showed it contained too high a level of GM material to qualify as a GMO-free product. Interested customers are informed and all further use of maize as GM-free is stopped. 

Lantmännen’s own supervision system discovered a batch of maize with an excessive content of GMO to qualify as a GMO-free product. Up to 0.9% GMOs are permitted in a GMO-free raw material and in our control, we have measured 3.9% contamination.

Swedish consumers are being misled by labels falsely claiming that food products are free of genetically modified organisms (GMO), according to a new report. Sweden’s National Food Administration recently tested the contents of 29 different products in six municipalities around the country. [...] Ten products had labels proclaiming they were GMO-free, yet four of them were found to have traces of GMOs.