GM laws to pave the way for lifting of EU approvals ban

Date: 03/07/03

By Karen Carstens and Martin Banks

MEPS yesterday (2 July) approved new rules on the labelling and traceability of genetically modified (GM) products that have irked the US government but thrilled EU policymakers.

The two new laws are expected to lead to the lifting of a five-year-old de facto moratorium on the authorization of new GM crops and products in the EU, over which an increasingly impatient and irate George W. Bush administration has requested a full-blown World Trade Organization (WTO) investigation.

"We're allowing GM food onto the market but on our terms so people can make a full and informed choice," said David Byrne, the health and consumer protection commissioner.

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström meanwhile appealed for some breathing room to put the new system in place: "We're asking for patience from America in building public confidence on GM foods.

"We've just got to demonstrate to the rest of the world that the approach we've taken works."

Yet Rockwell Schnabel, US ambassador to the EU, was more sceptical.

"Of course we support providing consumers with information so they can make their own choices," he told European Voice. "Our concern is that the rules will be difficult and expensive for suppliers, confusing for consumers and open to fraud.

"Keep in mind, this is not a food safety issue - biotech products have been shown by regulators in the US and the EU to be safe and have been consumed for years throughout the world without any ill effects," he added.

The new labelling regime stipulates that all products with more than 0.9% of genetically modified ingredients will be labelled as GM products. Labelling will also be extended to animal feed, and to all products that contain highly refined soya or maize oil.

Some observers fear that the US could launch a fresh attack on the EU via the WTO by arguing that the Union's legal framework is so restrictive as to constitute a barrier to trade.

But one US agriculture expert yesterday (2 July) said it is too early to tell if a new trade dispute would erupt.

Still, labelling laws should be "non-prejudicial" and "feasible", he said. "Our problem with the new legislation that was just approved by the Parliament is that we believe it doesn't do either of that."

It seems that the sincere hope of many Green activists and politicians is that the new labelling laws will force food firms to rethink what they put into their products.

A can of Coca-Cola containing corn syrup made with GM maize, for example, would have to be labelled as such in the EU, one Green agriculture expert said.

"This could lead to some companies switching over to using more non-GM ingredients," he added.

But the US agricultural expert said that the new rules would require so much additional labelling that they may not really help consumers much, in the final analysis.

"We are not really sure yet how this system will work - it could lead to virtually all processed food products in the EU being labelled," he said.

Another aspect of the new rules that will be particularly scrutinized is how individual member states decide to implement "co-existence" measures - when GM and non-GM crops are planted on the same or neighbouring farms. EU states can now adopt such measures, thanks to an amendment added ahead of the second reading vote.

The two new laws are expected to be approved by member states later this month, and could enter into force by early autumn.

As Caroline Jackson, chairman of the Parliament's environment committee, put it: "It will be up to the companies that want to market GM food and feed to prove to us they have benefits.

"Such companies have a lot of public opposition to overcome, so the ball is in their court.

"We believe we have found a way of lifting the [EU's GM approvals] ban while still protecting consumers and preserving their free choice."

The EU's moratorium on GM food and feed could soon be lifted after MEPs agreed on the labelling and traceability of GM products on 2 July 2003.