14/10/2022

Add your signature – Support these EU-wide petitions to stop attempts to deregulate new GMOs 

The European Commission is working on a new legislative proposal for ‘New Genomic Techniques’ (NGTs). We expect this to be released in the second quarter of 2023, and it is supposed to govern new Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) outside of the current legislation. The expected new legislative proposal is a consequence of high pressure of the agribiotech industry and will most likely deregulate certain products from these new genetic engineering techniques.  

There are a few EU-wide and national petitions, raising awareness and providing a critical voice to the debate surrounding GMOs and the so called ‘New Genomic Techniques’. There are three petitions in which we recommend you to make your voice heard

European NGO petition calling for regulation and labelling 

Firstly, there is EU-wide petition, spearheaded by a coalition of environmental and agricultural NGOs called Keep new GM food strictly regulated and labelled. The petition will call on EU decisionmakers to: 

  • Take a strong stand against any deregulation attempts; and  
  • Uphold mandatory risk assessment, transparency and labelling for all GMOs on the market.  

With the Commission’s plans to propose a new legislation for NGTs, it is more important than ever to insist on the existing safeguards of regulation and mandatory labelling so we can protect EU consumers and food producers’ freedom of choice.  

The petition’s key demands are: 

  • New GMOs are GMOs and should be regulated as such, in line with the precautionary principle. All GMOs must undergo a strict safety evaluation and be labelled as genetically modified, to ensure transparency throughout the whole supply chain for citizens and farmers; 
  • More research must be carried out on the environmental, biodiversity and health risks of new GMOs, on their socio-economic impacts for farmers and the food system, and on the development of detection methods; 
  • European decision makers need to promote and support proven solutions for a sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture, such as agroecological practices and organic farming, and to protect the freedom of breeders to operate without being restricted by the far-reaching scope of patents on seeds produced with new GMOs. 

With more than 318,000 signatures, the petition is gaining a broad momentum and enters its last stages, culminating in an event in December to hand over the signatures to the European Commission. The petition is running in 17 European countries and shared by a coalition of around 50 organisations

German and Austrian petitions 

Some of our members are also involved in this initiative and have translated these petitions into their national contexts. The organic umbrella organisation BÖLW calls the petition Nicht hinter unserem Rücken – Kein Freifahrtschein für neue Gentechnik in unserem Essen. Austria’s organic umbrella organisation Bio Austria is leading a petition called Keine neue Gentechnik durch die Hintertür

Share these petitions to help keep GMOs regulated & labelled 

We suggest you to sign these petitions and share them with your friends and networks. You can do so by sharing: 

  • Our messages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, 
  • BÖLW’s messages on Twitter
  • Bio Austria’s messages on Instagram and Facebook, and/or  
  • Posting your own. Here are a few example messages: 
  • [A new potential new legal framework for new GMOs could exclude them from the current approval processes and risks assessments. Sign this petition to call on EU decision makers to maintain safety checks, transparency and labelling for all GMOs on the market!] 
  • [The freedom of choice for consumers and producers to use or not use GMOs is central to the current EU regulatory framework on GMOs. Sign this petition to re-affirm this fundamental freedom and protect organic and GMO-free food producers in the EU]; 

For more information on (new) GMOs and IFOAM Organics Europe’s work on this issue, please contact [email protected]. Do note that we prioritise our members’ requests. 

IFOAM Organics Europe members can find more information on the member extranet and background materials in the arguments database on the member extranet (main messages, arguments/FAQs, visuals & videos). Contact [email protected] for access rights (issues). 

For information about what you can gain from being a member, read our membership page and contact [email protected]

 
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