On March 14, EU countries gave a mandate to start negotiations on the deregulation of new GM crops, also known as new genomic techniques (NGTs). For the first time, a qualified majority of EU ambassadors favored deregulation during today's meeting. This development follows a massive lobbying effort by biotech industry groups that has lasted over a decade.
The proposal by the Polish Presidency would mean that new GM crops could enter the market without any safety checks, consumer labeling, monitoring, or liability rules. Independent seed breeders would be left in the dark about patents and could face higher costs, while farmers might become more dependent on biotech seed multinationals.
However, all is not over yet. Belgium stated that they only agreed to give the green light to start negotiations if certain conditions are met, likely addressing issues related to patents and consumer labeling. The European Parliament's position also opposes the patenting of (deregulated) new GM crops.
The Polish Presidency played a highly dubious role. Last year, Poland vehemently opposed patented crops in Europe's fields. However, upon assuming the Presidency, it quickly reversed its stance, presenting a proposal that lacked substance, only mentioning a voluntary disclosure of patent information on a GM crop, unverified by any authority.
An investigation published in EUobserver exposed the extent of the pressure placed on Poland. Big biotech multinationals attempted to persuade Polish seed companies to join their patent platform, which would then convince governments that many seed breeders had already embraced the system.
A Polish independent seed company was quoted in the article: "If the NGT law goes the way the big guys want it to, there will be only a few suppliers of seeds on the market … So besides losing competition, it is also really about losing control over the food supply chain."
Nina Holland of Corporate Europe Observatory commented: "EU countries have come one step closer to selling out their food system to just a handful of corporations like Bayer and BASF, which are also the largest pesticide producers. Again, it is the people who will pay the price: risks to the environment and health will no longer be considered. Meanwhile, corporations are allowed to increase their profits due to patents on GM crops. However, both in EU countries and in the European Parliament, major concerns about the impacts of this deregulation remain. This is not over yet."
For more information:
Corporate Europe Observatory
www.corporateeurope.org/en