On October 25 in Geneva final round of negotiations on Ukraine joining World Trade Organization will take place; however, the issue of obligatory marking of products containing genetically modified organisms remains unsolved.

Liga website published an article 'Gene Engineering May Obstruct Ukraine’s Way to WTO' drawing the readers’ attention to this problem.

The author of the article reminds that the Cabinet of Ministers decided to introduce an obligation of marking genetically modified foodstuffs starting from November 1, 2007.

'However, the American side of WTO holds a firm stand against such actions,' runs the article.

'It is common knowledge that the USA is among the biggest exporters of this kind of foodstuffs. That is why their actions can perhaps be interpreted as unwillingness to lose markets for their products,' notes the author.

Genetically modified organisms are those organisms the genetic material of which changed not as a consequence of replication and/or natural recombination but because of a modified gene or a gene of other biological species or kind added.

According to Kateryna Kartava, Ph.D., doctors don't know which diseases a person can face after consuming gene engineering products.

After consuming such products the anti-gene composition of body tissues will be changing; as a result the immune system will start to destroy its own organism, notes the expert.

The author cites the Minister of Economy Anatoliy Kinakh according to whom the issue of GMO products should be dealt with by prioritizing health of Ukrainian citizens and strictly controlling the quality of foodstuffs imported into Ukraine nowadays.

Meanwhile State Commission of Consumption Standards of Ukraine insists on compulsory marking of at least children's food. As Mr. Kinakh noted, it is an obligatory norm in all EU countries.

According to the data of All-Ukrainian Ecological League, 90 per cent of Ukrainian foodstuffs do not contain genetically modified organisms, notes the author.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/10/24/65819.htm