EU adopts regulatory position on The European Parliament Plenary recently adopted its regulatory position on plants obtained by certain New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed. European grain and feed industry trade groups COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC said they remain committed to further scrutinizing the draft and supporting the legislative process, once the full text is made public. 

While the vote goes in the right direction, the groups said there are still areas that must be improved “if the European Union intends to give the farming community new genomic techniques as a new tool to address climate change impact and the sustainability goals of the Green Deal.”

This is particularly true for the same compulsory labeling for all NGT products, undermining the very essence of a distinction between Category 1 (conventional-like) NGTs and other NGTs to be treated like GMOs, the groups added. “This aspect could represent a relevant obstacle to the adoption of the technology and to the clarity of the information passed onto the citizens and consumers. Furthermore, mandatory labeling would stigmatize Category 1 NGT products, although EFSA has -on multiple occasions-, declared that Category 1 NGTs do not pose additional risks to those of varieties obtained through conventional breeding methods.”

Regulatory framework that is easy to implement with clear-cut criteria will help facilitate marketplace introduction as well as processing of food and feed materials. This, in turn, will contribute significantly to enhancing the competitiveness of both the industry and the farming sector within the EU, the groups noted.
COCERAL is the European association of trade in cereals, oilseeds, pulses, olive oil, oils and fats, animal feed and agrosupply. FEDIOL, the EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry association, represents the interests of the European oilseed crushers, vegetable oil refiners and bottlers. FEFAC, the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, represents 23 national Associations in 23 EU Member States as well as Associations in Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia, Russia and Norway with observer/associate member status.