According to GLOBAL 2000, the new vote on genetic engineering is a knee-jerk reaction to industry
On January 24, 2024, the EU Parliament's Environment Committee voted on the deregulation of new genetic engineering (NGT) in agriculture.
"Members of the European Parliament's Environment Committee have clearly disregarded the rights of consumers today. Too many MEPs have voted in favor of radical deregulation of new genetically engineered crops. This is a knee-jerk reaction to the industry. Even more NGT plants are to fall into the NGT 1 category and thus end up on our plates unlabeled and untested. The report adopted today would make the mandatory risk assessment of NGT plants a rare exception. rare exception exception. If this position is now fast-tracked through the plenary of the EU Parliament, it would be a fatal free pass for untested genetically modified plants - to the detriment of the environment, consumers and climate protection," analyzes Brigitte Reisenberger, genetic engineering spokesperson for GLOBAL 2000.
Such an important decision takes time and must not be rushed through. The claim that NGT is just as safe as conventional plants was recently refuted by the French food safety authoritywhich described the definition as arbitrary.
It is essential that these new findings are taken into account. The question of the patentability of NGT plants also remains a problem.
GLOBAL is now urgently appealing to all MEPs to protect the rights of consumers, farmers and the food sector in the plenary vote already scheduled for the beginning of February.
"MEPs must reject this position. They must not sacrifice transparency and freedom of choice on the basis of completely empty promises of sustainability made by the agricultural industry," appeals Brigitte Reisenberger, GLOBAL 2000's spokesperson on genetic engineering, to the EU Parliament.
