‘New GMO’ Deregulation: Europe’s Small-Scale Farmers and Breeders Warn of Corporate Control and Socio-Economic Risks

European countries are discussing a new far-reaching legal proposal on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It covers genetically modified (GM) crops and wild plants produced with new gene editing techniques (NGTs). These GMO plants are also known as “new GMOs” or “NGT-GMOs”, and will mostly be covered by patents, as are “old GMOs”. The proposal will increase the control that a handful of companies exert on farmers, and restrict the freedom of circulation of genetic material for breeders and farmers. It poses a serious threat to the business of European small- and medium-size breeders and farmers, and to the organic and GMO-free sectors.

The proposed law excludes new GMOs from the existing EU GMO legislation. In particular, it excludes most of them from being checked for safety, allowing their deliberate release into nature and their presence in the food chain without any assessment of the risks this could pose for nature or human health. The proposal also excludes most new GMOs from being monitored after release, which is necessary in case problems arise for consumers or nature that were not picked up during the risk assessment.