The European policy and market on GMOs SAARC Rice Expo Mumbai, 8th December 2004

1
The European policy and market on GMOsSAARC Rice
ExpoMumbai, 8th December 2004

• Eric Gall
• Political Advisor
• Greenpeace European Unit
• Rue Belliard 199
• Brussels, Belgium

2
Overview

• GMOs need to be authorised to be imported
• Authorised GMOs must be labelled
• Strong consumer rejection of GMOs
• Non-GM market
• Ongoing political controversy

3
The EU Authorisation system

• Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of
  GMOs in the environment
• Regulation 1829/2003 on GM Food and Feed
• EU-wide approval, maximum 10 years
• Complex case by case risk assessment involving 25
  Member States and the European Commission

4
The EU Authorisation system

• Precautionary principle
• Long-term and cumulative toxic effects on health
• Immediate or delayed, direct or indirect, long
  -term and cumulative effects on the environment
• Moratorium in 1999
• National bans ( safeguards clauses )

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No tolerance for unapproved GMOs (0)
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Labelling and Traceability of GMOs

• Regulation 1830/2003 on Traceability and
  Labelling of GMOs (18th April 2004)
• Broader scope of labelling living GMOs but also
  to GMOs containing or consisting of or derived
  from an ingredient which contains more than 0.9
  of GMO (oil, starch, sugar, glucose, alcohol,
  etc.), irrespective of whether they can be
  detected in the final product or not, both for
  food and feed
• Detection methods must be provided by the
  producer of the GMO, and be validated by the EU

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Labelling and Traceability of GMOs

• Documentation requirements are set up in order to
  enable the monitoring of GMOs, their traceability
  along the food chain, the withdrawal of GM
  products in case a problem is identified for the
  environment or human health, food and feed
  labelling for consumer information
• Exporters must disclose the precise list of GMOs
  contained in the shipment
• GMOs in a shipment or in products must be
  identified by their Unique Identifier Code,
  attributed according to the system developed by
  the OECD

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Labelling and Traceability of GMOs

• These documents must be transmitted from operator
  to operator all along the production chain
• Operators have to keep the record of the
  transactions for 5 years
• Adventitious (accidental) presence of approved
  GMOs up to 0,9 per ingredient exempts the
  products from the labelling requirements. The
  operator must prove he has taken all appropriate
  steps to avoid such contamination
• Controls by national authorities of Member
  States
• European Network of Laboratories
  http//gmoinfo.jrc.int

9
Market Situation

• The EU, with its 455 million consumers, is one of
  the biggest food markets in the world in terms of
  value.
• Estimated food and drink sales in the enlarged
  European Union, Switzerland and Norway in 2002
  reached the amount of 1,069,010 million Euros
• Complete non-GM market for food products
• Increasing non-GM demand for feed products

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Retailers policies

• 14 of the 30 top European retailers have a policy
  of not selling, under their own brand name, any
  products that would need to be labelled as
  genetically modified in all their European
  markets (Carrefour, Auchan, Sainsburys, Safeway,
  Marks Spencer, Coop Switzerland, Coop Italy,
  Migros, Big Food Group, Somerfield, Morrisons,
  Kesko, Boots, Coop UK)
• A further 7 companies (Tesco, Rewe, Metro Group,
  Casino, Edeka, Lidl, Tengelmann) have given a
  non-GM-commitment for their own-brand products in
  their main European markets

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Retailers policies

• The combined European grocery sales in 2003 of
  the companies with a non-GM policy in place and
  companies committed to achieving a non-GM
  standard, amounted to more than EUR 322,000
  million.
• This is 64 or nearly two-thirds of the grocery
  sales of the 30 top retailers in Europe.

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Food and Drink producers policies

• Food and Drink producers policies 22 of the 30
  most important companies have given a non-GM
  commitment throughout the enlarged European Union
  including Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo,
  Kraft Foods (Altria), Masterfoods (Mars),
  Heineken, Barilla, Carlsberg, Arla Foods, Dr.
  Oetker, InBev (Interbrew), Heinz, Chiquita, Cirio
  del Monte, Orkla, Ferrero, Northern Foods, Eckes
  Granini, Bonduelle, Kellogg and McCain
• 13 companies have given a global company-wide
  non-GMO commitment (Diageo, Heineken, Barilla,
  Carlsberg, Arla Foods, Dr. Oetker, Chiquita,
  Cirio del Monte, Orkla, Ferrero, Northern Foods,
  Eckes Granini, Bonduelle)

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Public Opinion

• In 2001, 70.6 of European consumers did not want
  GMOs in their food, 94 wanted to have the choice
  to eat it or not (Sondage n 55.2 réalisé par
  Eurobaromètre dans tous les Etats membres de
  lUnion Européenne en mai et juin 2001, étude
   Europeans, Science and Technology  diffusée en
  décembre 2001)
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/research/press/2001/pr06
  12en-report.pdf
• In Europe, in 2002, more than 65 of Europeans
  said they would not buy GMOs, even if they were
  less expensive than conventional products
  http//europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/
  eb/ebs_177_en.pdf.

14
Public opinion

• In 2003, 83 of British and 81 of Germans said
  they were against GMOs
  http//www.dw-world.de/german/0,3367
  ,1575_A_993206,00.html http//www.i-sis.org.uk/Pub
  licSayNo.php
• in 2004, 76 of French declared they were against
  GMOs and 80 thought that farmers should not grow
  GMOs
  http//www.tns-sofres.com/etude
  s/pol/190104_tabous_r.htm.

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Public Opinion

• In 2003, 89 of Americans thought that the US
  Food and Drug Administration should not introduce
  GMOs into the environment or in the food chain if
  it has not been proven they are safe
  http//pewagbiotech.org/research/2003update/3.php
• In 2001, 88 of Mexicans consumers asked that
  GMOs be labelled in 2002, 87 of Chinese and 80
  of Japanese consumers wished the same
  http//archive.greenpeace.org/geneng/highlights/fo
  od/pollsbrazilmex.htm http//www.gene.ch/gentech/2
  002/Jul/msg00075.html
• http//www.gene.ch/gentech/2002/Jul/msg00075.html

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Governmental attitudes

• EU Commission lifted the moratorium on GMOs in
  May 2004 with approval of Bt11 sweet maize for
  import, despite lack of support from governments
  and scientific concerns
• Syngenta announced that they would not market the
  maize in Europe

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Governmental attitudes

• 29th November 2004 vote of governments on
  safeguard clauses 12 out of 25 MS voted against
  the lifting (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany,
  Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Hungary,
  Lithuania, Malta, Poland) 10 countries abstained
  (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Czech
  Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia) 3
  voted in favor of the lifting (Netherlands,
  Portugal, UK)

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No GM Rice allowed in the EU

• Only one application for the import and
  processing of Bayers LL Rice 62
• 9 MS out of 15 raised objections to the
  authorisation in April 2004 (Austria, Belgium,
  Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
  Sweden and Spain) for fear of adverse health
  effects and outcrossing
• Rice producers worried about contamination in
  Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and France

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Contamination controversy

• No cultivation,  co-existence , seed
  contamination
• National laws to protect conventional and organic
  agriculture from contamination
• E.g. Germany a joint and several liability
  compensation scheme which compensates
  conventional and organic farmers if
  cross-contamination through GMOs causes economic
  damage
• GMO-free Regions across Europe

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Conclusion

• No tolerance for unapproved GMOs
• Mandatory Labelling and Traceability
• Strong consumer rejection followed by European
  retailers and companies
• No Market for GMOs
• Contamination controversy, GMO-free zones
  movement and liability laws