Archived press release

EU Environment Committee Votes for Stronger GM Laws

22 May 2003

Brussels, 22 May. The European Parliament Environment Committee today voted for stronger laws governing GM labelling and traceability. The vote, one week after the United States started a WTO complaint against the EU, paves the way for better consumer choice and action to protect organic and non-GM farmers from genetic contamination.

The vote by the Environment Committee called for stricter rules on the labelling and traceability of GMOs and for legally binding rules to secure non- genetically modified (GM) agriculture and non-GM food in Europe.

The Committee voted in favour of:

1) Legally binding rules to ensure the so-called "co-existence" of GM and non-GM products in food and agriculture. The Committee concluded that if GMOs are allowed to be grown in Europe on a commercial scale, additional legislation is needed to ensure that non-GM farmers are protected and that GM free food will be available. This position reflects the wishes of the vast majority of the European consumers to be able to choose GM-free food. The Environment Committee goes further

than the European Commission who has so far indicated that it only wants voluntary guidelines to ensure GM free food and agriculture.

2) Lowering the threshold (tolerance level for GMOs before the labelling scheme kicks in) from 0.9% (the position of the European Council) to 0.5%. Major food manufacturers and retailers currently work to 0.1%.

The Committee voted against:

3) The position of the European Council to allow -up to a level of 0.5 % and for a period of three years- traces of unauthorised GMOs in food and animal feed.

Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Geert Ritsema said:

"This is a clear political signal that the European Commission cannot ignore. Voluntary guidelines will not secure GM-free food. Legally binding rules are needed to protect farmers and consumers from GM contamination. This is what European consumer demand and expect."

In July, the plenary of the Parliament, will vote on the amendments adopted today in the Environment Committee. Next week (Wednesday 28 May) Friends of the Earth is organising a conference on coexistence of GMOs and non-GMOs in the European Parliament. The conference is organised together with retailer organisation Eurocoop, the Greens in the European Parliament and the Heinrich Boll Foundation. More than 150 participants are expected, among them representatives from retailers, farmers organisations, consumers organisations, the EU members states and members of the European Parliament.

For more information on the coexistence conference:

www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/conference/home.htm

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust