Brussels, 03 Mar 2006
The news:
- In 2003, the Commission adopted a Recommendation to help all Member States develop national strategies and laws to ensure the effective co-existence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic agriculture.
- The Commission will publish a factual report on the progress the Member States have made in implementing national rules and sum up the experience gained so far.
- To date, commercial cultivation of GMOs in the EU is relatively limited, with Spain the main producer of GM maize in the EU.
- The development of efficient and cost-effective strategies to ensure co-existence is vital to ensure a practical choice between GM and non-GM produce for farmers and consumers.
- Measures must be put in place to ensure that accidental mixing of GM and non-GM products is kept to an absolute minimum.
- This is not a question of health or environmental protection, because no GMOs are allowed on the EU market unless they have been proved to be completely safe.
- Co-existence measures are designed to ensure that GM crops can be grown along with non-GM crops without negative economic consequences caused by accidental mixing of the two.
- The report will assess the current situation across the EU ahead of a key conference on the issue to be held in Vienna, on 5 and 6 April.
The event:
Press release after Commission adoption.
The sources:
European Commission website on agriculture:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/
European Commission website on environment:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/index_en.htm
[Graphic in PDF & Word format] Two Infoclips GMO
The contacts:
Michael Mann +32 2 299 99780, Johan Reyniers +32 2 295 6728
Item source: AGENDA/05/9