CJEU Case C-528/16 | Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre and Ministre de l’Agriculture, de l’Agroalimentaire et de la Forêt

Summary:

Information Guide focusing on Case C-528/16 from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), on whether organisms obtained by mutagenesis are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and whether they are subject to the obligations laid down by  Directive 2001/18/EC (also known as the GMO Directive).

Further information:

Unlike transgenesis, mutagenesis is a set of techniques which make it possible to alter the genome of a living species without the insertion of foreign DNA. Mutagenesis techniques have made it possible to develop seed varieties which are resistant to selective herbicides.

Confédération paysanne is a French agricultural union which defends the interests of small-scale farming. Together with eight other associations, it has brought an action before France's Council of State (Conseil d’État) in order to contest the French legislation which exempts organisms obtained by mutagenesis from the obligations imposed by the GMO Directive. They argue that mutagenesis techniques evolved over time, and that the use of herbicide-resistant seed varieties carries a risk of significant harm to the environment and to human and animal health, in the same way as GMOs obtained by transgenesis.

The Council of State requested the CJEU to determine whether organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs and whether they are subject to the obligations laid down by the GMO Directive. On 25 July 2018, the CJEU ruled that organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs and are, in principle, subject to the obligations laid down by the GMO Directive. However, the Court added that organisms obtained by mutagenesis techniques which have conventionally been used in a number of applications and have a long safety record are exempt from those obligations, on the understanding that the Member States are free to subject them, in compliance with EU law, to the obligations laid down by the directive or to other obligations.

Official

CJEU CURIA: Case C-528/16 | Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre and Ministre de l’Agriculture, de l’Agroalimentaire et de la Forêt https://curia.europa.eu/juris/documents.jsf?num=C-528/16

Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU): Press Release No 4, 18/01/2018: Advocate General’s Opinion in Case C-528/16. Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre et ministre de l’Agriculture, de l’Agroalimentaire et de la Forêt https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2018-01/cp180004en.pdf

Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU): Press Release No 111/18, 25/07/2018: Judgment in Case C-528/16 Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre and Ministre de l’Agriculture, de l’Agroalimentaire et de la Forêt https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2018-07/cp180111en.pdf

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News

EurActiv, 25/07/2018: Industry shocked by EU Court decision to put gene editing technique under GM law https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/industry-shocked-by-eu-court-decision-to-put-gene-editing-technique-under-gm-law/

Politico, 25/07/2018: EU’s top court tightens controls over controversial new GMO techniques https://www.politico.eu/article/mutagenesis-genetically-modified-organisms-eu-court-opens-door-to-certain-contentious-plant-breeding-techniques/

The New York Times, 27/07/2018: What Is a Genetically Modified Crop? A European Ruling Sows Confusion https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/science/gmo-europe-crops.html

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Commentary and Analysis

GM Freeze: Comment, 25/07/2018: ECJ rules in favour of tough regulation for new GM techniques https://www.gmfreeze.org/press-releases/4966/

European Seed, 25/07/2018: Case C-528/16 Reaction: A Bleak View For Agricultural Innovation in the EU https://european-seed.com/2018/07/a-bleak-view-for-agricultural-innovation-in-the-eu/

EurActiv: Opinion, 27/07/2018: Nothing wrong with genome editing in agriculture https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/opinion/nothing-wrong-with-genome-editing-in-agriculture/

The Conversation, 27/07/2018: GM crop ruling shows why the EU’s laws are wholly inadequate https://theconversation.com/gm-crop-ruling-shows-why-the-eus-laws-are-wholly-inadequate-100675

EU Law Analysis, 13/08/2018: EU law and genetic mutations: does a recent CJEU ruling show an irrational fear of mutation? http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/08/eu-law-and-genetic-mutations-does.html

COPA-COGECA: Press Release, 04/09/2018: Copa and Cogeca's reaction to the ECJ ruling on mutagenesis techniques https://web.archive.org/web/20220617192027/https://copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=1856593&fmt=pdf

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