Deregulation Is Not an Option – a Food Sector Perspective on New Gmos

Deregulation is not an Option – a Food Sector Perspective on New GMOs

Heike Moldenhauer, Brave New World of Genome Editing Round Table, 27th of May 2021

www.enga.org ENGA: European Non-GMO Industry Association

Non-GMO sector: • response to labelling gap under current EU GMO legislation – feed is subject to labelling but not related food products • companies that exclude GM feed and use Non- GMO label for products like milk, meat, eggs • Non-GMO label based on national laws or industry agreements • Non-GMO labelling possible currently in 10 European countries

ENGA’s main aims: • Bringing the European Non-GMO sector together • Protect Non-GMO business in the long term

www.enga.org A Food Sector Perspective on Genome-Edited Crops I

Food sector • is responsible and liable for safety of its products • must be highly sensitive to wishes and expectations of consumers • is well aware that a substantial amount of consumers have no demand for GMOs in food • GMOs don’t sell: stable attitude for 25 years • will be confronted with critical inquiries and anger of consumers should it come to a deregulation

www.enga.org A Food Sector Perspective on Genome-Edited Crops II

• best option for food sector: maintaining current EU GMO legislation for all genome- edited crops • environmental and food safety risk assessment based on the precautionary principle • transparency requirements: labelling and traceability – freedom of choice for business operators and consumers • current GMO legislation is balanced: enables authorization and placing on the market and enables to avoid them • prevents food sector from running the risk to sell untested and invisible GMOs

www.enga.org Consumer’s Attitude to Labelling of Genome-Edited Crops

Opinion Poll Greens/EFA (30 March 2021) • Some 86% of respondents who have heard about GMOs want GM food to be labelled as GM (89% in France, 85% in Germany, 91% in Portugal) • 68% of respondents who have heard about new GM techniques like CRISPR want GM food produced with new techniques also labelled as GM (66% in France, 70% in Germany, 63% in Portugal)

• Some 78% of respondents have heard about GM crops (78% in France, 72% in Germany, 61 % in Portugal) • But only 40% of respondents have heard about new GM techniques, and very few would say they know a little or more about them (35% in France, 47% in Germany, 46% in Portugal)

EC: no clear stance on labelling („adapting labelling/traceability requirements“) .

www.enga.org EC’s Deregulation Plans Affect about 95 Percent of all Genome-Edited Crops

EC’s Letter to the Portuguese Presidency: • “policy action” needed on “plants derived from targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis” • “proportionate regulatory oversight for the relevant plants products by adapting (…) the risk assessment and authorization procedures and labelling/traceability requirements” • criteria for “adapting”: no foreign gene inserted, similar risk profile to conventional breeding, new GMO cannot be distinguished, detected etc. • means: all SDN1 and most of SDN2 applications would be deregulated – 95 % of all GE crops with a market orientation so far in the pipeline

• Modrzejewski D, Hartung, F., Sprink, T., Menz, J., Kohl, C., Delventhal, R., Wilhelm, R. (2020) Aktualisierung der Übersicht über Nutz- und Zierpflanzen, die mittels neuer molekularbiologischer Techniken für die Bereiche Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Gartenbau erzeugt wurden – marktorientierte Anwendungen. . https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/_Landwirtschaft/Gruene- Gentechnik/NMT_Uebersicht-Zier- Nutzpflanzen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3. p 6

www.enga.org A Deregulation of Genome-Edited Crops would mean …

• Lowering or abolition of EU political and societal key achievements: precautionary principle and consumer’s right to know • Lowering of food safety standards • Loss of control over the value chains • Organic and conventional Non-GMO markets under threat of destruction (EC has no proposal how to manage co- existence) • End of Non-GMO production and consumption in the EU

www.enga.org A Deregulation of Genome-Edited Crops would mean …

www.enga.org Retailers’ Resolution: European Retailers Take a Strong Stand Against Deregulating New GMOs

“As representatives of key European retailers we insist that the existing EU GMO legislation – with the precautionary principle and transparency requirements as its central pillars – continue to be applied to new GMOs. New GMOs must continue to be regulated in the same manner as old GMOs. Any other outcome from the political and scientific discussions currently underway would seriously undermine our own businesses, as well as the businesses of many farmers and seed, feed and food producers, especially in the highly-successful organic sector.”

First signatories in alphabetical order, as of 26 May 2021: ALDI Hungary, ALDI Italy, ALDI NORD Germany, ALDI SUED Germany, ALDI Suisse, Alnatura Germany, BioMarkt Verbund Germany, BNN Germany, Dennree GmbH Germany, Denn’s Biomarkt GmbH Germany, HOFER KG Austria, HOFER Slovenia, IGBM e.V. (Interessengemeinschaft BioMarkt e.V.) Germany, Lidl Österreich GmbH Austria, Naturata Luxemburg, METRO Cash & Carry Österreich GmbH Austria, MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH Austria, Rewe Group Austria (incl. Billa and Penny), SPAR Österreichische Warenhandel GmbH Austria, Synadis bio France, Tegut Germany, TOP- TEAM Zentraleinkauf GmbH Austria, Transgourmet Österreich GmbH Austria, Unimarkt Gruppe (Unimarkt, Pfeiffer Großhandel, Nah & frisch) Austria

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