Weekend Economists Salute Ruin July 3-5, 2015

[MattSh]

33. Sell Unmarked GMO Products and Jail Awaits

In 2004, GMO products accounted for 12% of the Russian food industry. Today that number is 0.01%. But some producers send "clean" product for evaluation, but send to market cheaper GMO contaminated product. Current penalties are not enough to keep some from trying to evade the ban. Russian MPs want to update the law to fix that.

From RT

A number of Russian MPs have suggested altering the current legislation and introducing criminal responsibility for illegal trade in GMO products. The idea is to mete out prison terms of up to two years for repeated offenders.

The bill tightening the rules for selling genetically modified products has been prepared by lawmakers representing the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, known for its nationalist stance. The draft has already been forwarded to the government and Supreme Court for assessment, and it will then be submitted to parliament.

If passed the bill would amend the existing article of the criminal code that orders punishment for concealing any information about potential hazards for human life and health. It would include violation of the rules for marking goods containing GMO material. Those found guilty would face fines of up to 300,000 rubles (about $6000), or up to two years in prison or penal labor. The bill specifies that, depending on the crime’s circumstances, the punishment could be applied to the head of the company and the workers involved in the violations.

Currently, improper labeling of GMO products is punished by fines ranging between 20,000 and 50,000 rubles ($400 – $1,000) for individual entrepreneurs and between 100,000 and 500,000 rubles ($2,000 – $10,000) for companies. The law regulating the turnover of GMO was first introduced in Russia in 2007. It requires clearly visible indication on all goods containing 0.9 percent of genetically modified organisms by weight.

Well I say "more power to them." The quickest way to stop repeat offenses is to lock up the head of the company. Fines? Corporate bosses don't care about stinkin' fines. Jail? That's something they'll understand.

http://rt.com/politics/261985-russia-gmo-prison-law/