Qatar is giving final touches to a law to check the entry of
genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) into the country.
Qatar is giving final touches to a law to check the entry of
genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) into the country.

The country is also making labelling of GMOs products mandatory giving
consumers the right to pick their choice of GMO or non-GMO products,
reported the Qatar Peninsula.

This means the law will allow people to enjoy the benefits of
biotechnology while avoiding its possible risks.

Wildlife Conservation Director Ghanem Mohammed Al Abdullah said the
next meeting of the National Committee on biosafety will discuss the details
of introducing a labelling system of GMOs in Qatar.

Ahead of the meeting, the committee will also host a workshop that
will be addressed by international experts in the field, he added.

Al Abdullah said the proposed biosafety law was prepared on the basis
of Cartegena Protocol, to which Qatar is a party.

'The protocol will enable everyone to enjoy the benefits of
biotechnology while avoiding unnecessary risks,' he said.

The long-term effects on human health of consuming GM food have not
been investigated so far.

The Biosafety National Committee believes that through labelling,
customers can distinguish GMO products from the rest.

Though most of the GCC countries have become the party to the
Cartegena Protocol in the rent past, Qatar is the first country to draft a
law in check the proliferation of GMOs. Greenpeace has hailed Qatar's
initiative.


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