Nature too is at risk
The Commission has published its proposal to weaken regulations around new GMOs and its answers to some FAQs on the topic.
Below are the responses of Friends of the Earth Europe (1) and Greenpeace (2).
1. The EU Commission’s new GMOs proposal sacrifices consumers’ rights and puts nature at risk
2. GMO deregulation disregards safety and consumer rights, Greenpeace
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1. The EU Commission’s new GMOs proposal sacrifices consumers’ rights and puts nature at risk
Friends of the Earth Europe, 5 July 2023
https://friendsoftheearth.eu/press-release/eu-commissions-new-gmos-proposal-sacrifices-consumers-rights-and-puts-nature-at-risk/
Today, the European Commission published its legislative proposal to deregulate the new generation of genetically modified plants (new GMOs, or now so-called 'new genomic techniques' or NGT). The proposal abolishes labelling requirements, safety checks and any type of liability processes for new GMOs. As a result, consumers, farmers, and food processors will no longer have transparency on whether the plants and food they grow, buy and eat contains new GMOs or not.
Mute Schimpf, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said:
“The European Commission is choosing to give in to a long-lasting campaign from big corporations instead of protecting citizens’ rights. It’s appalling to see that the Commission basically says agribusiness do not need to bear the risks of releasing untested new GMOs into our fields and plates, but consumers, farmers and nature do."
Friends of the Earth Europe now calls on Europe’s environment and consumers ministers, as well as members of the European Parliament, to reject the Commission’s proposal. Both the EU Council and the EU Parliament will have a say on the final law in the coming months.
The European Commission’s deregulation proposal means:
* Releasing untested new GMOs into nature. So far, the direct and indirect impacts of putting new GMOs in the wild have not been assessed. For instance, no research has been conducted on how new GMOs interact with bees and other pollinators, nor on how GMO cropping can speed biodiversity loss.[1]
* Abolishing consumers’ right to know as defined in the European treaties as well as in EU’s general food law. By excluding new GMOs from labelling requirements, consumers, farmers and the whole food chain can no longer know if the seeds, ingredients and final food products they buy contain new GMOs or not.[2]
* Depriving governments of their right to ban the cultivation of new GMOs on their territory. Since 2015, 17 governments have already banned the cultivation of GMOs.[3]
* Abolishing basic responsibilities for the biotech industry, such as delivering a testing method for each new GMO they develop. The new legislation makes it impossible for farmers and the food sector that want to produce conventional, organic or GMO-free food to protect themselves against unwanted contamination. The European Commission proposes to have testing methods be paid by those who want to avoid new GMOs and to remove public cultivation registers.
* Making it impossible for national authorities to control food safety of new GMOs as the biotech industry is no longer required to provide testing methods, nor are the operators obliged to trace the product along the food chain.
* Setting a precedent for corporate-driven law-making. The European Commission proposal is based on promises made by the industry about products that are currently still in the pipeline, without baseline or independent assessment on the actual sustainability of new GMOs.
Notes
[1] https://friendsoftheearth.eu/publication/new-gmos-a-risky-distraction-to-climate-food-security/
[2] https://friendsoftheearth.eu/publication/unmasking-new-gmos-protecting-farmers-consumers-right-to-transparency/
[3] https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/genetically-modified-organisms/gmo-authorisation/gmo-authorisations-cultivation/restrictions-geographical-scope-gmo-applicationsauthorisations-eu-countries-demands-and-outcomes_en
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2. GMO deregulation disregards safety and consumer rights, Greenpeace
Greenpeace, 5 July 2023
https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/nature-food/46731/gmo-deregulation-disregards-safety-and-consumer-rights-greenpeace/
The European Commission’s proposed deregulation of a new strand of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) disregards safety and consumer rights, Greenpeace has warned.
The Commission’s proposal would remove or water down safety testing for GMOs produced with new gene editing techniques (mutagenesis and cisgenesis), and would exempt many from being labelled as GMO products. Drafts of the Commission’s plan included articles that would also end the right for national governments to ban these genetically modified plants from being grown on their territory.
Greenpeace EU GMO campaigner Eva Corral said: “Whether it’s a toy or a face cream, any product on the market needs to be safety tested – why would there be an exemption for GMOs that end up on our fields or in our plates? Biotech companies have long considered these safety procedures an unnecessary bother and it’s disappointing to see the Commission agree with them.”
Plants produced with gene editing techniques are currently regulated under the EU’s existing GMO legislation. These GMO rules include safeguarding measures, such as a scientific assessment to evaluate the risks for the environment and human health before releasing them on the market or into the fields, and require products containing GMOs to be clearly labelled. National governments in the EU can also ban certain GMO plants from being grown on their territory.
Organic farmers, conventional farmers and retailers have criticised the Commission’s proposal to deregulate these new GMOs. The governments of Austria and Luxembourg have also expressed their concern. Recent polls and petitions also show that people in Europe want new GMOs to remain labelled and regulated.
ECJ ruling
In a 2018 ruling, the European Court of Justice found that the risks linked to new mutagenesis techniques, which do not involve inserting genetic material, could be similar to those from ‘classic’ GMOs. The Court said that excluding these new GMOs from the existing GMO rules would defeat the point of those rules – to protect the environment and human health – and would violate the precautionary principle.
Next steps
The European Parliament will now decide which committee takes the lead on forming the Parliament’s position on the proposal, and national governments will decide which ministers will be in charge of agreeing their joint position.