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EU Commission: Concealing genetic engineering? A poor plan!
Photo: Green Party Baden-Württemberg (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In early July 2023, the EU Commission intends to present its long-announced proposal for new genetic engineering regulations. Now the plan has been revealed in advance. If it were implemented, a large part of the food and feed produced with new genetic engineering methods such as CRISPR would no longer have to be labelled. Risk assessment and approval procedures would also be eliminated; only a register entry and seed labelling would still be required.
Deregulation planned for the vast majority of "new genetic engineering" plants
This deregulation would apply to all plants that "could also have been produced using conventional methods". The definition of such plants, however, is arbitrary and anything but scientifically sound. It would, however, presumably cover the vast majority of "new genetic engineering" plants that could actually come onto the market. Other "new genetic engineering" plants would continue to be considered genetic engineering and would have to be labelled - and would in addition be allowed to show a questionable "sustainability label" that would highlight the supposed benefits of genetic manipulation.
EU Commission recklessly puts competitive advantage at risk
"Covering up genetic engineering is a very bad idea. It would massively undermine trust in politics and the food industry. Consumers rightly want to know how the food they buy is produced. The EU Commission is recklessly putting at risk, in the interest of a few players, the great competitive advantage of farmers, producers and retailers in Europe, who internationally stand for GMO-free quality products," comments Alexander Hissting, Managing Director of the Association Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG).
Arbitrary distinction between genetic engineering with and without labelling
"The EU Commission cannot and must not get away with this screwed-up plan. It would not only be fatal for consumers but also for the economy. No one understands the completely arbitrary distinction between genetic engineering that requires labelling and genetic engineering that does not. Not only 'Ohne Gentechnik' (Non-GMO), but also organic and all others who want to farm without genetic engineering would be acutely threatened. How are they supposed to ensure in the future that no genetic engineering gets into their products if it would no longer have to be labelled?"
An almost insurmountable challenge for "Ohne Gentechnik" and organic products
According to the EU-Pan, all "new genetic engineering" plants should continue to be excluded from organic products. This would burden both the organic and the "Ohne Gentechnik" sectors with the almost insurmountable challenge of ensuring that their products are not contaminated with genetic engineering, which would, however, be omnipresent in the agricultural and food sectors in unlabelled form.
Political process is only now beginning - Traffic Light coalition divided
The proposal could still change before the planned presentation in early July. Only then does the political process begin, in which further changes are likely and in the end the European Parliament and national governments would have to agree. In Germany, the Traffic Light government is divided: The Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens Party oppose the EU Commission's deregulation plans, the Liberals (FDP) are in favour. Numerous environmental and organic associations have already sharply criticised the proposal.
VLOG survey: Distinct majority opposes lowering of EU GMO standards
Stable growth for "Ohne Gentechnik"
Almost 80 percent of milk in Germany is GMO-free
arc2020: Leak - Draft NGT Regulation and Impact Assessment revealed (with original leak documents for download)
taz: Smuggling "genetic plants" into food (in German)
Stuttgarter Nachrichten: EU plans relaxation of genetic engineering for food (in German)
ZDF: Genetic engineering: EU wants significant easing (in German)
Proplanta: SPD clearly opposes EU plans for genetic engineering (in German)
AgE: Contrasting reactions from German politicians (in German)
Lebensmittelpraxis: Draft EU law under fire (in German)