| To:
The EU Council of Ministers
I want the right to choose food that is free from genetically
modified organisms (GMOs). I understand that new GM laws are
being discussed this autumn. Please take a firm position in
the Council so that legislation is passed that ensures consumers
and farmers have a real freedom of choice.
In
particular, I would like you to ensure the following points
are addressed:
1.
Traceability and labelling
of GM food
- Introduce
mandatory labelling of all GM products, including products
derived from animals fed on GM animal feed.
- Reject
any moves to reintroduce exemptions for unapproved GMOs up
to a level of 1%.
- Support
a threshold for the accidental presence of approved GMOs in
food and animal feed at the lowest level possible (currently
0.1%).
2.
Environmental Liability
for GMO-producers
- Ensure
producers and operators become liable for all GM products,
regardless if they are authorised or not.
- Ensure
liability covers all biodiversity.
- Ensure
liability covers economic damage and damage to health.
- Ensure
liability applies to GM crops and GM-derived food and animal
feed, that were considered harmless according to the scientific
knowledge at the time of approval, but at a later stage proven
to cause damage. Such provision is especially necessary because
experience has shown that GMOs behave unpredictably.
3
Seeds Directive
-
Ensure
that the Seeds Directive is dramatically improved and includes
guarantees against GM pollution of the food supply.
-
Argue
for thresholds to be set at the lowest detectable level.
-
Ensure
that measures (such as increased separation distances) to
prevent GM contamination are
reintroduced.
4.
De facto moratorium
I
believe that under no circumstances should the current EU moratorium
on GMO authorisations be lifted until effective arrangements
for the traceability and labelling of GMO-derived products are
in place. Furthermore, adequate systems that ensure environmental
liability for GMO producers and the protection of seeds against
GM pollution should be in place before discussing the possible
ending of the moratorium. |
