6th European Conference of GMO-free Regions
John Dalli: A "technical solution" for traces of unapproved GMOs
(18 September 2010) John Dalli, EU Commissioner
for Consumer Protection, intends to defuse the problem of traces of unapproved
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) found in agricultural imports. At the 6th
European Conference of GM free Regions, Commissioner Dalli announced the
finding of a "technical solution" quite soon. The commissioner also referred to
the new possibilities granted to EU Member States to regulate the cultivation of
GM plants more closely.
In his speech at the sixth European Conference of
GM free Regions in Brussels, the EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection
explained current EU policy on genetic enginering. In order to have the freedom of
choice for the European consumer while buying food products, a variety of
agricultural systems with and without genetic engineering must exist.
In July, the EU Commission agreed upon new guidelines for coexistence. According
to these, Member States now may decree significantly stricter measures towards
avoiding GMO being found in conventional or organic products.
For the first time, Member States now have been granted the right to establish
GM free zones. According to Commissioner Dalli, "From the experience gained in
the last years, the Commission has observed that under certain economic and
natural conditions, coexistence of GM, conventional [and] organic crops is not
possible."The Commissioner stated conviction that the new coexistence
guidelines would preserve the "right balance" between the requirements of
GM free agriculture and the cultivation of genetically modified plants.
At the same time, Commissioner Dalli emphasised that EU-wide GMO approval
procedures would "be preserved and even reinforced in the near future". These
procedures are "the strictest the world" and are "based on science, safety and
consumer choice.
Commissioner Dalli pointed out to conference participants that the use if GMO is
an economic reality, primarily in the area of animal feed. Between 85 and 90 per
cent of animal feed on the market in the EU is labelled as ‘genetically
modified’, as is 95 per cent of imported soybeans. According to the
commissioner, European meat production is dependant on feed imports from South
and North America.
The Commission now intends to find a "technical solution" for the problem of
traces of GM plants that are not yet approved in the EU. Since a variety of GM
maize and soy plants cultivated in South and North America are not yet approved
in the EU as food or feed, GMO traces are almost impossible to avoid. When such
GMOs have been detected in feed imports to date, the shipments have been refused
import entry the EU.
The Commission now intends to issue a technical guideline for sampling and
analysis. The guideline should contain a definition of the lowest GMO content
for which unequivocal measurement is possible. In the case of GMO content lower
that 0.1 per cent, detection procedures often deliver results that are not very
meaningful and that often differ greatly to each other.
According to Dalli, "This ‘technical solution’ would not change the zero
tolerance approach to unauthorised GMOs [that has been valid until now], but
make it more operational." Furthermore, the threat would be reduced of a
scarcity of animal food and the competitive disadvantage that this implies for
European food production.
See also on GMO Compass:
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