Euro Coop Joins Call to Stop Deregulation of New GMOs
LONDON, February 16, 2025 — Euro Coop has joined forces with Greenpeace and other organizations in signing a Joint Statement on the Deregulation of New GMOs, urging European policymakers to protect small and medium-sized breeders, farmers, and the organic and non-GMO sectors from the risks posed by the proposed legal changes.
The EU is currently discussing a legislative proposal that would exempt most new genetically modified organisms [new GMOs or NGT-GMOs] from existing GMO regulations. This move would remove key safeguards such as risk assessments, monitoring, traceability, and labeling, making it nearly impossible for producers and consumers to distinguish GMO from non-GMO products.
Furthermore, the deregulation would increase corporate control over seeds through patents, putting European breeders and farmers at risk of legal uncertainty, higher costs, and loss of access to diverse seeds essential for food security and climate adaptation.
The joint statement highlights the threats of deregulation, including: Increased dependence of farmers and breeders on a handful of seed companies; Loss of seed diversity and increased vulnerability to climate change; Legal uncertainty for farmers due to potential patent infringements; Irreversible contamination of organic and non-GMO farming; Lack of detection and traceability measures, limiting consumer choice
As the voice of consumer cooperatives in Europe, Euro Coop stands firm in defending the right to safe, transparent, and sustainable food systems. We call on European policymakers to reject the deregulation of new GMOs and ensure that all genetically modified plants remain subject to risk assessments, monitoring, labeling, and traceability.
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