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Survey: German Agriculture Minister Rainer should advocate for GMO labelling
The EU Commission wants to relax significantly the regulations for plants produced using new genetic engineering (NGT). For most NGT plants, this would mean the abolition of the current requirement to label them as genetically modified ingredients in food.
Trilogue negotiations underway, German position so far unclear
Trilogue negotiations between the Commission, the EU Parliament and the Council of Ministers are underway in Brussels. Unlike the Commission, the Parliament wants to retain the full genetic engineering labelling requirement, but the Council of Agriculture Ministers of the Member States has not included this demand in its joint position. This was one of the reasons why the then German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) did not vote in favor in March 2025. It is not yet known what position his successor Alois Rainer (CSU) and the new German government as a whole will take on this issue.
Three-quarters of CDU/CSU supporters want Rainer to campaign for labelling
In that context, the Association for Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG) commissioned Civey to conduct a representative survey of 5,000 people in Germany from 11 to 13 June 2025. 79 percent of those surveyed want the new minister to advocate on the EU level for food containing new genetic engineering to continue to be labelled. Even among CDU/CSU supporters, 75 percent want this. Only 9 percent want Rainer to oppose mandatory labelling, as the EU Commission and Council of Ministers have planned to date.
Clear mandate for Minister Alois Rainer to take action now in Brussels
"The survey results are a clear mandate for Minister Rainer to advocate in Brussels for continued comprehensive genetic engineering labelling, including for NGT. Otherwise, consumers, when shopping, would no longer be able to tell whether their food contains genetic engineering or not. This transparency must be maintained at all cost! Germany's voice carries weight in Brussels, and with a clear Yes to genetic engineering labelling, Alois Rainer can make an important contribution to ensuring that we continue to know what we want to eat and buy," said VLOG Managing Director Alexander Hissting.
The second major round of trilogue negotiations on the new NGT regulation will take place in Brussels on 30 June 2025. The EU Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries will also address this issue on 23-24 June 2025, with the new German Minister of Agriculture, Alois Rainer, expected to attend.
Details of the survey
On behalf of VLOG, Civey conducted an online survey from 11 to 13 June 2025, asking 5,000 German citizens aged 18 and older the following question: "In your opinion, should Federal Minister of Agriculture Alois Rainer (CSU) advocate for or against the continued labelling of food containing new genetic engineering at the EU level?" 66.5 percent of respondents were "clearly in favour", 12 percent "rather in favour", 5.5 percent "clearly against", 3.9 percent "rather against" and 12.1 percent undecided. The results are representative due to quotas and weightings, taking into account a statistical error of 2.6–2.7 percentage points in the respective overall result. Further information on the methodology is available from Civey.