Option
“The EU Commission wants to cover the majority of the 'Neue Genetic Engineering'Plants abolish the tried and tested rules for risk assessment, approval procedures and labeling requirements. That would be the end of transparency and freedom of choice in the food sector,” explained Florian Faber, managing director of the business association ARGE GMO-free.
This could make food more expensive
The food trade is concerned that the EU Commission will completely abolish the scientific risk assessment, precautionary principle, traceability and labeling for NGT. This would be too significant cost increases throughout the entire value chain, which only affects the GMO-free and organic food chains and not those responsible. It is likely that consumers will have to bear the large price increases for high-quality products such as organic and “Non-GMO”. This is a burden that cannot be accepted in times of high inflation.
“Without genetic engineering” and organic production are booming success models throughout Europe and should not be jeopardized carelessly by deregulation of the tried and tested legal framework. In Germany alone, food without genetic engineering accounts for an annual turnover of around 30 billion euros (16 billion euros “without genetic engineering”, 14 billion euros organic); In Austria it is around 4,5 billion euros (2,5 billion “produced without genetic engineering”, 2 billion organic).
Impact of the new genetic engineering patents unclear
It is not clear in the proposed law what impact the patents sought by NGT producers will have on NGT crops. There are major concerns about plant patents as they could have a significant impact on the seed market and therefore on the entire value chain. It is very serious that patents can be used to drive up food prices. The companies that signed are therefore calling for clarification of the financial impact of a new regulation of genetic engineering law as a whole, particularly with regard to patents on NGT seeds and plants, before the bill is passed as part of an impact assessment.
Photo / Video: Myedit.
