BRUSSELS, 30 NOVEMBER 2023 – Speaking at an online press conference this morning, Jan Plagge, President of IFOAM Organics Europe, called on Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and Member States to respect organic farmers and operators’ choice to not use novel genomic techniques (NGTs) and maintain the ban on the use of NGTs in organic production as laid out in the Commission’s proposal. Bernard Lignon, IFOAM Organics Europe Board member and sector representative for processing and trade, called on policymakers to include full traceability on the use of NGTs in the production chain and the possibility for coexistence measures at national level in the legislative proposal.

The European Commission has launched a proposal for the (de-)regulation of new genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). As academics, from a vast range of disciplines, including agroecology, political ecology, rural sociology, molecular biology, environmental history, population genetics, evolutionary biology, ecology, agronomy and innovation studies, we are very concerned about the quality of this legislative proposal, the process by which it came into being, and the social, economic and environmental impacts it will have, should it be adopted. Moreover, we have serious questions about the way in which climate and sustainability goals are being used to justify this (de-)regulation.

Appeal: Regulate new genetic engineering and repair patent loopholes!

Brussels/Vienna, November 17, 2023 – Ahead of the EU Agriculture Councilexternal link, opens in a new tabOn November 20th, the signatory organizations sounded the alarm to the agriculture ministers: “We are deeply concerned about the growing flood of patent applications for new genetic engineering seeds and NGT plants in Europe. This uncontrolled development has negative impacts on breeders, farmers and food production. We are at a crucial point where we must set the course for the future of our agriculture and biodiversity. Agriculture Minister Totschnig is now required to forge alliances with other EU agriculture ministers in order to avert these dangerous developments for Austria's agriculture! ", say the international organizations ARCHE NOAH, the small farmers' association European Coordination Vía Campesina, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, Corporate Europe Observatory, FIAN International, ENGA - European Non-GMO Industry Association, NO PATENTS ON SEEDS! and GLOBAL 2000.

Sign the petition to EU decision makers!

The new EU seed law proposed by the European Commission in July 2023 threatens the conservation and circulation of crop diversity. It disregards farmers’ right to harvest, use, exchange and sell their own seeds, as enshrined in international law. It is unacceptable.

Ahead of the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 20-21 november, ECVC has sent, along with 8 organisations including seed-savers, GMO-free industry and environmental NGOs, a statement to EU agriculture ministers, alerting them on the patents that cover all new genomic techniques (new GMOs).

New GMOs are currently at the center of the debate of the Agriculture Council following the publication of a Regulation proposal by the Commission in July 2023. Even though the proposals claims that new GMOs, and especially "category 1 new genomic techniques", must be considered as conventionnal breeding, all these GMOs are covered by patents. In the absence of traceability requirement, breeders and farmers will lose their means of protection in case of accidental contamination leading to infrigement proceedings, and will face as well abusive extension of the scope of patents to conventional seeds. This proposal goes clearly against the EU obligations on farmers' rights to seeds, and will have a tremendous economic impact on the whole GMO-free farming, breeding and industry sector.

Environmental groups call for a ban on releasing GMOs into the wild

Halifax, Ottawa, Sutton, November 8, 2023 – Today, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) released an Expert Panel report commissioned by the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada on the regulation of genetically engineering (genetically modified or GM) insects for pest control. The report focuses on the question of releasing gene-edited insects and “gene drive” organisms in particular, designed for release into the environment with the purpose of replacing or changing whole insect populations in the wild. The Expert Panel concludes that the complexity and uncertainties of using such genetically engineered insects (genetically modified organisms or GMOs) raise profound questions and require serious attention from the federal government.

BRIEFING ON THE RISKS OF EUROPEAN GMO LABEL DEREGULATION

The European Commission’s proposal to widely deregulate the new generation of Genetically Modified Organisms (new GMOs) - now called New Genomic Techniques or NGTs for political purposes - plans to take away farmers’, food processors’, retailers’ and consumers’ right to be informed whether the feed and food they buy contains new GMOs. The law proposal of the EU Commission is one that meets the demands of the agribusiness lobby rather than its citizens’ best interests. Studies show that, as long as consumers have the information whether their food contains GMOs or not, they prefer to choose conventional, organic or GMO-free options.1 This means that, if there is not a demand for GMO products, (many) farmers would not buy new GM seeds, limiting the European market and global pesticide corporations’ sales of these products.

Has the European Commission based its proposal to deregulate GMOs/NTGs on “ sound science ” or on the demands of seed companies? Documents obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) show that the Commission chose to listen to the companies rather than its own experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EFSA had indeed asked for an assessment - albeit a relatively light one - of the risks of “ new GMOs ”. However, the European Commission has proposed to abolish this requirement, as requested by certain companies.

Press release 19 October 2023

The European Commission’s proposal to exempt most ‘new’ genetically modified (GM) plants from regulation lacks scientific basis, scientists of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) point out. The proposal will expose citizens and the environment to potentially unsafe food, feed and plants without informing the citizens. It amounts to a shameful attack on the Precautionary Principle (PP). New GM plants must remain regulated by the existing EU legislation, which has proven to serve its purpose well.

The draft report of the rapporteur of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety is completely unacceptable, says ENGA (the European Non-GMO Industry Association), given its removal of the already threadbare nods to transparency for EU citizens in the European Commission’s proposal on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).

The EP rapporteur’s draft report removes the only transparency requirement proposed by the European Commission for category 1 NGTs (about 94% of all New GMOs): the need to label seeds as NGTs. This means that the whole food production chain, starting with breeders and farmers, as well as food and feed processors, retailers and consumers, will be kept in the dark about New GMOs on the EU market.