Moldova will have a molecular biology lab for detecting genetically modified organisms. Israel will allocate €300,000 for setting up the law, the memorandum of understanding being already signed.

Viorica Gara, senior specialist at the Agriculture Ministry’s Marketing and International Relations Division, has told IPN that €250,000 will be spent on purchasing the equipment, while €50,000 will be used to train the Moldovan specialists who will work at the new lab. The training will take place in Israel.

A genetically modified organism is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food. On particular occasions, genetic engineering has been associated with risks to health, loss of biodiversity, increased use of toxic herbicides and other environment-related problems.