Press Release
Brussels, 24 April 2003

EU’ s ROUND TABLE ON CO-EXISTENCE OF GM AND NON-GM AGRICULTURE: A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

The Round Table on the co-existence of genetically modified (GM) and non GM crops hosted today by the European Commission is a missed opportunity. During the Round Table research results relating to the co-existence between GM and non-GM maize and oilseed rape will be presented and discussed. This is done in an unbalanced way: big biotech companies who promote genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are represented in the panels, but those organisations in the EU who defend the environment and sustainable farming against the risks of GMO’s are not. Our organisations wrote to the Commission with our concerns on 18 March. As of today we have received no reply. Therefore we feel forced not to participate in this meeting.

The most important question relating to co-existence -who will be held responsible for avoiding genetic contamination of organic and conventional food and farming ?- will not be addressed during the Round Table. The Communication from Agricultural Commissioner Fischler is also not on the agenda. Fischler’s Communication is highly controversial, since it puts the burden of taking measures to avoid the unwanted spread of GMO’s on non GM producers. In other words: the polluted and not the polluter has to pay !

Our organisations have concluded that this Round Table should not be considered as a stakeholders’ meeting and that no conclusions on the future EU policy on co-existence should be drawn from it. We believe it is about time that the Commission starts taking its responsibility on the issue of co-existence. A first step in that direction should be to organise a public debate on future policy options. So far the Commission has only indicated that it wants to organise a “public meeting” on co-existence, but no further details were given. We believe this meeting should involve the general public and representatives of the organic and conventional farming, trade, processing, and retail sector as well as environmental, agricultural and consumer organisations. We call on the Commission to further clarify how and when the public meeting and consequent public debate will be organised. We also call on the Commission to give its opinion on the following issues:

• How to avoid the unwanted and uncontrolled dissemination of genetically modified organisms (both authorised and unauthorised) into the environment ?
• How to ensure the right of farmers and consumers to produce and consume without genetically modified organisms (GMO’s)? So far, the Commission has not provided a clear anwser to this question. Agricultural Commissioner Fischler has indicated that legislative action at Community level “should be avoided”, but this does not solve the problem.
• How to ensure that GM polluters will be held liable ? Crops that are contaminated by GMO’s from neighbouring fields may lead to economic loss to non-GM farmers. The current proposals for an EU Liability Directive do not cover such damage.
• Who is going to pay the costs of preventive measures to avoid genetic contamination and to ensure co-existence ?

We strongly believe that the co-existence issue should be fully addressed by means of legally binding rules on the EU level that ensure the protection of the environment from genetic contamination and the long-term viability of organic and conventional farming.

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24 April: Friends of the Earth is protesting against what it called an " unbalanced conference on GMO's", organised by the European Commission. The biotech industry was invited to speak, environmental NGO's were not.

Friends of the Earth is the largest grassroots environmental network in the world 
campaigning to protect the environment and to create sustainable societies.
Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) unites more than 30 national member groups with thousands of local groups.

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