Berlin Declaration adopted
08.05.2015 On the occasion of this years’ GMO Free Europe Conference a network of NGOs and scientists, the European GMO Free Regions Network and the Danube Soya Association announced the Berlin Declaration. During the conference 400 participants from 65 countries discussed current issues within the GMO debate focusing on new political and scientific developments.
The Berlin Declaration touches upon several of these aspects: The European Opt out regulations, The European Protein Strategy, TTIP, Low Level Presence of GMOs, GMO Labelling as well as New Technologies.
Concerning the Opt out mechanism participants of the GMO-Free Regions Conference urge all national governments to ensure legally binding bans on GMO cultivation on their territory and hence making an effective use of the new Directive (EU) 2015/412.
Furthermore, the conference participants discussed the European Protein Strategy. Currently, the European Union’s soya imports are equivalent to 12 million hectares of arable land and account for 97% of its demand. This jeopardizes the independence of the EU food supply and causes destructive land use practices in exporting countries. The participants of the GMO Free Europe Conference demand that the EU Parliament and Commission develop a coherent European Protein Strategy to address all these issues.
Concerning the free trade agreement between the EU and The USA (TTIP) EU standards on health, the environment, legal certainty and democracy should not be lowered. The precautionary principle must not be undermined.
GMO-free products and seed must remain GMO-free. No thresholds should be established for the contamination of food and feed (Low Level Presence) with GMOs not authorized within the EU. For seeds, not labelled as GMO, the current zero tolerance principle for GMO contamination must be maintained. Consumers must have a right to full transparency and choice on the use of GMOs in the food they buy. This must also include the use of GMO feed in animal products.Clear labelling is necessary.
The precautionary principle also should apply for new technologies of genetic modification. New technologies, not yet known when defining GMOs about 25 years ago, have to be assessed in a common coherent and transparent EU-process and must not be abused to undermine the present EU GMO legislation, safety and international standards.