Feature story - July 3, 2002
Greenpeace welcomed a European Parliament vote for tightened regulations which give consumers and farmers in Europe the choice to accept or reject GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in the food they eat and the feed they use.
Genetically engineered soya pods.
The vote paves the way for the European Union (EU) to adopt the
world's strictest regulations for labelling for GMOs. For the first
time, GE (genetically engineered) feed will be labelled as such in
the EU. Furthermore, all GE food, including highly processed
ingredients, will have to be labelled.
The new regulations will set up a system that allows GMO food
and food ingredients to be traced from farm to final product.
This decision is welcome, especially considering attempts to
weaken and undermine it. For example, the EU Commission proposed to
allow up to one percent accidental GMO contamination in food and
feed not authorised in the EU. But this proposal was rejected and
zero tolerance remains the EU policy for such non-authorised
GMOs.
One regret with the new EU regulation is, however, its failure
to include labelling of products derived from animals given GE
feed. This includes meat, milk and eggs. So it is up to producers
to voluntarily inform consumers whether they have used GE feed or
not. Producers must be urged to do so if consumers are to have a
choice.
It is highly unfortunate that countries which choose to inform
consumers about GE ingredients face opposition from major producers
of GE crops. The US, Canada, Argentina and Australia have already
gone to the WTO (World Trade Organization) with their objections to
the EU labelling and traceablity regulations. It is hoped that this
latest European Parliament vote will strengthen the position of the
EU Commission so that it can clearly reject these objections.