Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to ban the cultivation and breeding of genetically modified plants and animals, except in cases where they will be used in testing and scientific research.
The document was published on the legal information portal on Monday.
“Growing plants and animals, whose genetic program is changed with methods of genetic engineering and who contain genetically engineered material that cannot be a result of natural processes, is banned except for growing such plants and animals while conducting evaluations as well as for research and development,” the document said.
Importers of genetically modified products should pass registration procedures, while their products could be banned after monitoring of their impact on people’s health and environment.
The legislation also sets penalties for breaching the law, from about $160 to around $780 for officials and from about $1,600 to around $7,800 for legal entities.
Dozens of countries worldwide, including Russia, require food producers to label genetically modified foods, with opponents of GMOs arguing that the health risks associated with such products have not been adequately studied.