Warning: genetically modified tomatoes

The State Plant Production Service under the Ministry of Agriculture informs that the French Ministry of Agriculture has received a report of online sales of genetically modified seeds of the tomato variety ‘Norfolk Plant Sciences Purple Tomato’. Please note that this genetically modified tomato seed is not authorised in the European Union (GMO register - European Commission), therefore, it is prohibited to grow such tomatoes in Lithuania, as well as in the whole of the EU.

Lithuania, like many EU Member States, takes a rather strict approach to the cultivation of genetically modified plants on its territory and uses the possibility provided by the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2015 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/LT/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32015L0412 to restrict the cultivation of these plants.

The website on which the seeds of the genetically modified tomato variety ‘Norfolk Plant Sciences Purple Tomato’ were sold was found to be registered in – the Republic of Latvia. The staff of the competent authority of Latvia carried out an inspection and found that 40 seeds of the genetically modified tomato ‘Norfolk Plant Sciences Purple Tomato’ were purchased in France. The seeds and tomato plants were destroyed.

The State Plant Protection Service strongly recommends that if you notice the sale of the above mentioned genetically modified tomato seeds of ‘Norfolk Plant Sciences Purple Tomato’, you should immediately inform the State Plant Protection Service by e-mail info@vatzum.lt, by phone +370 5237 5631. You can provide information anonymously 24 hours a day by calling the Helpline on +370 5 270 80 80.

We would like to remind you that the placing on the market of propagating material containing admixtures of genetically modified organisms that have not been authorised for cultivation in the European Union is punishable by a fine of between three thousand and four thousand euros.   &ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp&ndbsp;Article 312, Paragraph 6 of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Procedure for the Approval, Commencement of the Administrative Code and Implementation of the Administrative Code of Offences.    Article 312.