"The EU has put in place a clear, transparent and stringent system to regulate genetically modified food, feed and plants," said Commission president Romano Prodi. "Clear labelling rules allow farmers to choose what to plant and consumers to choose what to buy. It is only logical that this safe system continues to be applied in practice and that the EU moves ahead with pending authorisations."
Indeed as far as the EU is concerned, the regulatory framework for GMOs in nearly complete. Directive 2001/18/EC, which provides for a more complete authorisation procedure for GMOs, has been fully applicable since 17 October 2002, and a proposal on establishing a comprehensive Community system to trace and label GMOs and to regulate labelling will be fully applicable by April 2004.
Work on the finalisation on a number of additional implementing measures is progressing smoothly and no the Commission envisages no delays at this stage.
The Commission also agreed to submit a draft authorisation of GM maize NK603 to the Regulatory Committee, composed of the Member States, for a decision in February. In addition the Commission agreed on the need to address at the EU level the individual safeguard measures on GMOs which have been adopted by various Member States.
The Commission was also in favour of proposing labelling thresholds for the adventitious presence of GM seeds in non-GM varieties in the near future.
The orientation debate also focussed on national measures on coexistence between GM and non-GM crops. The Commission noted that GM free zones are possible if farmers decide to produce without GMOs on a voluntary basis.
But environemtnal campaigners believe that GM-free zones simply cannot guarantee that the land will remain free of GM contamination. UK-based Friends of the Earth GM campaigner Pete Riley was quoted in our article yesterday as saying that in Canada, oil seed rape, or canola, has been found on a non-GM farm.
"The fact is that oil seed rape is a very small seed, and can easily be blown around," he said. "The pollen can spread several kilometres. This means that genetically modified seeds are easily blown onto non-GM farmland, and these 'volunteer' crops, as they are called, are finding their way into our food chain whether we like it or not." However, the Commission is adamant that coexistence is possiblem and that national coexistence measures should take into account the characteristics of a specific crop, The EC has warned against general restrictions on the cultivation of GM crops.
The Commission underlined that Member States are legally obliged to notify all national or regional measures on coexistence to the Commission. Furthermore, the Commission said that it intends to step up its coordination role and actively support an exchange of best practices and information regarding coexistence.