Court dismisses interlocutory injunction application against National Biosafety Authority over GMOs
The Human Rights Court 1 has dismissed the interlocutory injunction application filed by Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) and others against the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) over the approval given for the registration of 14 GMO crops for food, feed, and processing in Ghana.
The court presided over by Her Ladyship, Justice Barbara Tetteh-Charway in dismissing the application on Tuesday April 30, 2024, acknowledged the NBA’s diligence in executing its statutory mandate in ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of GMOs crops within Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Food Sovereignty Ghana and others on April 10, 2024, filed the motion for interlocutory injunction to restrain the National Biosafety Committee and 4 others from “releasing into the Ghanaian ecosystem any GM product”.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the by the Public Relations Unit of NBA and copied to the Ghana News Agency.
The statement said the court also claimed that seeking information from the NBA would have averted the filing of the present application. The landmark ruling marks a significant milestone for actors in the biotechnology and agricultural innovation space and affirms that science-based functional biosafety systems are important to expand producer choice, inspire consumer confidence, facilitate trade, and promote agricultural research and development.
The ruling of the substantive matter is scheduled for Friday May 24, 2024.
“The NBA wishes to assure Ghanaians that it remains committed to ensuring the safety of modern biotechnology in Ghana as well as continuous engagement with stakeholders in a transparent manner,” the statement said.
The NBA is a government agency established by the Biosafety Act, 2011 (Act 831) to promote sustainable socio-economic development through the efficient and transparent regulation of modern biotechnology particularly Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
The Authority has the mandate to ensure the safe use, handling, and transportation of GMOs in the country and also provide an adequate level of protection in the field of safe development transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organism resulting from biotechnology that may have an adverse effect on health and environment.
Source: GNA