Brussels, Belgium
December 4, 2014

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, commented on the agreement reached between national ministers and the European Parliament concerning genetically modified (GM) crops cultivation as follows:

“This is a non-cultivation agreement”, said Beat Späth, director for agricultural biotechnology at EuropaBio. “It enables Member States to formally reject safe products which are approved at European level. Rejecting modern technologies on non-scientific grounds sets a dangerous precedent for the internal market and sends a negative signal for innovative industries worldwide considering whether or not to invest and operate in Europe. European farmers have lost their freedom to choose”.

The EU legal framework for the cultivation of GM products, initially adopted in 2001 (Directive 2001/18/EC), has never been correctly implemented. GM products for cultivation are regularly not put to Member States for a vote as required by law. EuropaBio reiterates its call for products that fulfil the EU's science-based risk assessment requirements as set out in the EU legislation to be authorized without undue delay. All serious existing evidence after more than 15 years of large scale GMO cultivation and consumption has shown that GM crops are as safe as their conventional counterparts and can deliver remarkable extra benefits for farmers and consumers, and for sustainable farming.

The biotech industry firmly believes that failing to support the EU’s own best science is the single most damaging element for growth, innovation, investment and, indeed, consumer confidence and safety. Decision makers should now focus on finding a solution to the testing and sampling issue involving small traces of GMOs in seeds (as repeatedly requested by the Member States since 2006) and in food, as this represents an economic loss for a wide range of operators and threatens trade flows of commodities the EU heavily depends on.

Full release

Website: http://www.europabio.org

Published: December 4, 2014