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International Green Week 2025: "Ohne Gentechnik" discussed

International Green Week 2025: VLOG in dialogue with Karl Bär MdB and Martin Häusling MdEP, Photo: Karin Heinze

VLOG in dialogue about "Ohne Gentechnik"

The "Ohne GenTechnik" seal was once again listed at the International Green Week on the seals info screen in the hall of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). There, VLOG Board Members Dr Juliane Falzmann and Christoph Zimmer, as well as Sönke Guttenberg (Head of Media and Public Relations) met, among others, the BMEL State Secretaries Silvia Bender and Dr Ophelia Nick (Greens), BMEL Department Head Eva Bell, the President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) Sabine Riewenherm, the Hessian State Secretary for Agriculture Michael Ruhl (Christian Democrats CDU) and Martin Häusling MEP (Greens), Karl Bär MdB (Greens) and Elrid Pasbrig MdL (Saxony-Anhalt, Social Democrats SPD) to discuss current opportunities and challenges for "Ohne Gentechnik".

The topic of deregulation of genetic engineering

In addition to the successful development of the "Ohne GenTechnik" seal, the focus was on the EU Commission's plans to deregulate genetic engineering and the new proposal from Poland. With the new legal opinion by lawyer Dr Georg Buchholz, the VLOG representatives were able to impressively illustrate further impending serious consequences of the planned deregulation of genetic engineering for the food industry.

New VLOG assessment present at International Green Week

Many of the dialogue partners had already seen the assessment and discussed it. It was also discussed at a panel organised by the Grain Club during Green Week: Dr Marcus Girnau from the German Food Association addressed Dr Klaus Berend from the EU Commission with concerns about the possible "double regulation" of new genetic engineering under genetic engineering and novel food legislation and the resulting burdens for the food industry. The VLOG assessment provides new findings and arguments opposing the deregulation of genetic engineering and is likely to continue to play an important role in the debate.

Also at the traditional "Wir haben es satt!" ("We are fed up!") demonstration at the start of International Green Week, the topic of "Genetic engineering in food" was clearly visible on banners. 

Legal opinion: Do not shift liability risks for new genetic engineering to the EU food industry!