🌱 NGT-1 plants will be exempt from labeling and safety assessment for GMOs if they prove to be equivalent to conventional breeds.
🤝 The European Parliament will vote on the modified Commission proposal in February, followed by a vote in the agriculture ministers.
❗️Environmental organizations are disappointed as their anti-NGT campaigns did not have political impact.
Introduction:
The lead ENVI Committee has approved the draft regulation on new genomic techniques in plant breeding, relaxing the rules for their authorization. The draft report supports the regulation but calls for a ban on patenting NGT1 plants to prevent seed monopolies. The European Parliament and agriculture ministers will now vote on the modified proposal. If the necessary qualified majority is achieved in the Council of Ministers, the regulation could be implemented before the European elections in May.
- The AGRI Committee and the ENVI Committee have both approved the draft regulation on new genomic techniques in plant breeding.
- The ENVI Committee supports the draft report with certain amendments, including a ban on the patenting of NGT seeds, labeling and traceability requirements for NGT2 plants, and an examination of the consequences of the ban by 2025.
- The European Parliament will vote on the modified proposal in February, followed by a vote by agriculture ministers.
- The regulation is facing criticism from environmental organizations, organic farmers, and consumer organizations.
- The outcome of the votes in the European Parliament and Council of Ministers will determine whether the regulation is implemented before the European elections in May.
Conclusion:
The approval of the draft regulation by the ENVI Committee is a major step towards the implementation of new genomic techniques in plant breeding. However, the ban on patenting and the concerns raised by environmental organizations and organic farmers highlight the need for a balanced approach that takes into account the interests of all stakeholders. The upcoming votes in the European Parliament and Council of Ministers will determine the final outcome of the regulation and its potential impact on European agriculture.
