On Friday 14 March, the 27 EU member states reached an agreement on the deregulation of plants produced using new genetic engineering techniques, known as “new genomic techniques”. A qualified majority of member states backed the compromise proposal put forward by the Polish EU presidency. Many agricultural and environmental organisations had criticised the proposal.
The qualified majority was achieved after Poland, Greece and Belgium changed their positions to support the text. With this support, the Polish Presidency can now start trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Franziska Achterberg, of Save Our Seeds, commented: “The ministers have clearly caved in to pressure from large multinational biotech companies. By allowing untested and unlabeled GM crops to be released into the environment and onto our plates, they are putting both people and nature at risk. They are also depriving consumers of their right to avoid GM food.”
Photo © European Union
