Eight major German and Austrian supermarkets have written an open letter to MEPs on the ENVI and AGRI committees regarding the European Commission's new GMO (new genomic techniques or NGTs) deregulation proposal, warning that they must not jeopardise:
* Consumer choice
* Organic farming, and
* Food price stability.
The supermarkets, which include Rewe and Spar, write, "According to numerous national and pan- European market surveys, a significant number of consumers are very opposed to genetically modified crops in their food. We want to continue to give these consumers full freedom of choice. To ensure this, EU regulations must guarantee full traceability and labelling of NGTs throughout the supply chain to ensure the continued existence of NGT-free and organic agriculture and food production. Binding coexistence measures... are also essential to this end." GMWatch

 

 

A carefully crafted narrative is framing GMOs as an essential ingredient in sustainable food systems. The Commission’s current proposals favour biotech innovations to tackle the risks posed by climate change and loss of biodiversity. A decision to prioritise GMOs over other approaches – such as a diversity of plant genetic resources, produced and adapted locally by a diversity of players – carries a significant path dependency that will likely shape the future of our food systems for decades to come. Could a solid reform of the seed marketing legislation provide a more effective and safer response to sustainability commitments? Arc2020

 

 

In the last year, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has been criticised for not releasing information about the safety of pesticides because the data are considered confidential business information. This level of secrecy contrasts with Health Canada’s efforts to improve transparency related to therapeutic products. Vanessa’s Law gives the federal Minister of Health discretionary powers to share confidential business information on therapeutic products when it perceives there is a serious risk to human health or the environment. The Minister of Health should be granted similar discretionary powers to make safety data for pesticides publicly available, write two academics. They cite a recent example of a transparency failure regarding pesticide decisions: When Health Canada was pushed for more transparency regarding its reapproval of glyphosate, it announced that it would create a new Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products, comprising independent scientific advisors. But in July 2023, the co-president of the committee, Bruce Lanphear, resigned because of the committee’s inability to access product safety data, stating that he believed the industry had too strong an influence over pesticide regulation. CMAJ

 

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