Environmental organisations have welcomed today's rejection by the European Parliament of a proposal to allow traces of genetically modified organisms in organic food [1,2].

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to set a threshold for GM contamination of the limit of detection (0.1%). The final decision was due to be taken by European Environment ministers by April. However, MEPs also called for a change in the decision making process so that their opinion is given equal weight to that of Environment ministers.

Friends of the Earth's GM Campaigner, Clare Oxborrow said:

"The result of the vote is a clear indication from European elected representatives that the right to GM-free organic food is non-negotiable".

"However, the biotech industry's inability to control contamination from GM crops threatens more than just organic crops and food. Politicians and governments in the UK and Europe must act to guarantee that all non-GM food is protected from GM contamination."

Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the European Environmental Bureau warn that the 0.1% GMO contamination threshold voted for today should under no circumstances be used as a bargaining chip in the resolution of the conflict over legislative powers.

For further information please contact:-

Clare Oxborrow: 020 7566 1716/07712 843211

Helen Holder, GM Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Europe E-mail : helen.holder@foeeurope.org

Marco Contiero, Senior policy advisor, GMOs, Greenpeace EU Unit

Mobile: +32 (0)477 777 034

Mauro Albrizio, Vice-president, European Environmental Bureau

Mobile : +32 479 940 257

Notes for editors:-

[1] Proposal for a Council Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (COM(2005)0671 - C6-0032/2006 - 2005/0278(CNS))

[2] The proposed law, if adopted as such, would allow 0.9% GMO contamination in organic foods. The law only allows this contamination as long as it is "adventitious" and "technically unavoidable", however there is evidence that the European Commission and some member states such as the UK, under pressure to adopt a lax attitude to contamination, are, in fact, interpreting the 0.9% threshold to mean `acceptable' contamination. The organic sector currently works to a lower threshold (detection level), which and EU laws must support, and to enable organic farmers and retailers to maintain existing standards.

[3] The European Parliament voted in favour of requesting an equal say on the legislation with Member States, through the codecision procedure. There will now be negotiations with the Council and Commission to resolve this conflict over legislative powers. The codecision procedure gives the European Parliament the power to adopt legislation jointly with the Council of the European Union, requiring the two bodies to agree on an identical text before any proposal can become law.