Europe confirms its need for the use of GMO crops and feed

The European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development rejected the European Commission's proposal* for each country to independently decide whether to allow modified foods and feeds on its territory, following approval by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The Agricultural Committee's decision was made with 28 votes in favor, 8 against, and 6 abstentions. Before the vote in the plenary hall, the proposal will also be reviewed by the EC's Committee on the Environment.

Albert Dess, a German MEP from the European People's Party (EPP), responsible for the legislative dossier in the committee, stated that the message to withdraw the proposal is clear: "We did not build the single European market to allow political decisions to completely destroy it." The decision of the European elite is essentially an admission that the agricultural sector is not sufficiently independent and cannot function independently of global trends and agricultural decisions beyond the Ocean. The German MEP gave a specific example with poultry producers who feed their animals with soy, 90% of which is imported into the EU from countries cultivating GMOs. Almost all livestock sectors are 100% dependent on modified feeds and cannot survive if their import is banned. "If we accept this decision, we will become much more dependent on food imports from third countries, which will not always respect our high production standards. And we want to avoid such a scenario," added Dess.

The Committee on the Environment in the EP will have the final say on this bill. Its report, prepared by the right-wing Italian Giovanni La Via, also calls for the proposal to be withdrawn. The Committee on the Environment and Food Safety is yet to speak on the matter. In October, EU agriculture ministers will also discuss the GMO regulation.

* in April, the European Commission proposed that after a GMO is approved for cultivation as food or feed in Europe by the European Food Safety Authority, member states should have the option to prohibit the use of that GMO in their food chain. They were required to justify the refusal with arguments related to risks to human and animal health and the environment, as these are the grounds on which the use of the respective variety is permitted or halted at the European level.