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Klöckner wants to “dare try new genetic engineering”

Photo: © BMEL/Photothek/Xander Heinl

Now Klöckner wants to always first “look whether in an individual case a genetically modified plant does in fact harbour a potential risk to humans, animals or the environment” and only then decide, “whether an in-depth risk assessment will be carried out in an approval proceeding.” Shortly before the second anniversary of the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which in 2018 ruled that for “new” genetic engineering the same rules apply as for “old”, the German Agriculture Minister is demanding a weakening of European regulations and laws.

“For consumers there are no two types of genetic engineering,” comments VLOG Managing Director Alexander Hissting, “People want to know what’s in their food. If genetic engineering in food is concealed through the lack of labelling, that destroys trust in trade, the food sector and politics. The whole ‘Ohne Gentechnik’ and organic sector would be threatened by deregulation.” Hissting is also critical of Klöckner’s specific proposal: “A prior risk assessment of whether a risk assessment is to be done appears to me scarcely plausible – after all, that is exactly what the risk assessment is for!”

If “some of the modifications” brought by the new genetic engineering interventions cannot yet be detected “according to the current state of the art,” then that should “in fact be an incentive to finally develop the appropriate detection methods and bring them into widespread use,” says Hissting.

Tagesspiegel: We must listen to experts – and dare try more genetic engineering! (guest article by Julia Klöckner)

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