The AGRIFISH Council, the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee, big supermarket chains, French environmental NGOs - they all made clear their positions on the EU Commission's proposal to deregulate New GMOs (or New Genomic Techniques, NGTs) in recent days and weeks. While the Spanish Presidency failed to gain a qualified majority for a general approach among member states, the AGRI Committee voted against any consumer labelling for NGTs, including Non-NGT labelling. Read our reports on the latest political developments and on major concerns from business and civil society regarding transparency and freedom of choice.
“Those who want to produce GMO-free must be able to do so in the future. We need real freedom of choice across the entire food chain. To achieve this, we need rules for coexistence so that a functioning market worth billions is not destroyed.” That's what German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir stated at the AGRIFISH Council meeting on 11 December 2023. We couldn't say it better - and have a detailed analysis of the conventional and organic Non-GMO markets in the EU, presented at the ENGA event in the European Parliament in November. To get an impression how entrepreneurs of the Non-GMO food sector raised their voice and how our host Maria Noichl MEP views the debate watch our video.
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ENGA wishes you a peaceful Christmas and a happy festive period. We will be back in January ready to keep you updated about developments in Brussels and beyond!
December has not been the month for winding down ahead of the holidays in Brussels; on the contrary, it has seen key meetings of the AGRIFISH Council and the European Parliament's AGRI Committee. Whilst how the planned deregulation of New GMOs will continue on its path through the legislative process is not yet clear, certainly the journey has not so far been a smooth one. We have more on how Member States and Parliamentarians are positioning themselves.
With the EU's legislative process on New GMOs reaching a preliminary peak, many influential voices are being raised across the EU against the proposal. Nine well-known supermarkets across Austria and Germany have written to MEPs outlining their concerns with the proposed regulation. Meanwhile, in France a coalition of environmental NGOs is alarmed about the draft law and its far reaching consequences for all citizens and has written to the French President and Prime Minister calling on them to urgently address the risks they outline in their letter.
In a new publication by ENGA the conventional and organic Non-GMO markets are examined and their economic significance highlighted - and it is impressive! With the EU conventional Non-GMO market totalling approximately 20 billion euros in 2022 and the organic one 55 billion in 2021, it is clear that consumers, even in tough economic times, want to buy Non-GMO food. Food for thought for those negotiating the New GMO legislation ...
European Non-GMO Industry Association
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