According to the draft law, only the Council requires developers to provide detection methods for category 1 plants, i.e. for 94% of all NGTs currently in the development pipelines of biotech companies. Laboratories need detection methods for category 1 NGTs to meet their customers’ demand to know whether NGTs are present in food and feed products.
That’s why ENGA member Imegen Agro, a Spanish laboratory, has launched an open letter urging EU lawmakers to ensure labs have access to detection methods, reference materials, and data on the genetic modification and its location as part of the authorisation process.
The letter, addressed to the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament, calls for these requirements to be built into the legislation. Laboratories are invited to join the initiative and sign the open letter by 15 May 2025 and can do so by contacting ENGA via info@enga.org