A majority in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee has come out in favour of the proposal opening the door to the development of new genomic techniques (NGTs).
MEPs from the Greens/EFA group and some from the S&D group, on the other hand, strongly criticised the proposal (see EUROPE 13216/1), which was presented by Claire Bury, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).
Benoît Biteau (Greens/EFA, French), in particular, described the proposal as “detestable”, on the grounds that the Commission claims that these varieties will support food sovereignty and enable a reduction in the use of pesticides. In his view this is nothing more than “supposition”.
Organic farming. In response to a question from Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spanish) on organic produce, Claire Bury indicated that, as “category 1 will contain products similar to conventional products, we may well allow them in organic produce. We consider the pros and cons”. If organic farmers were to obtain authorisation, there would have to be full guarantees in this respect, said Ms Bury.
The European Commission distinguishes between two categories of products obtained by mutagenesis or cisgenesis. New GMOs considered to be similar to plants obtained by conventional selection, having undergone no more than 20 genetic modifications, would be subject to a simple notification requirement before being authorised like any other plant. The others would be subject to obligations similar to those imposed by Directive 2001/18/EC, which currently governs the GMO authorisation procedure.
Patents. In response to questions from Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italian) and Irène Tolleret (Renew Europe, French) on the issue of patents, Ms Bury explained that a specific legal framework exists for patents (biotechnology) and, depending on what is patentable, there is an innovation threshold to be reached. According to Ms Bury, there needs to be a balance between promoting innovation (patents held by SMEs) and giving farmers and breeders access to seeds. The Commission wishes to use the Biotechnology Directive, which specifies that essential biological processes cannot be patented. “We want to better understand the type of innovation that will take place in the context of these NGTs to see if it will be patentable, if we can find an appropriate balance”, said Ms Bury.
She confirmed to Ms Tolleret that herbicide-tolerant varieties are not included in the text on NGTs, but that they are in the proposal on seeds (see EUROPE 13216/2).
Seeds. On seed banks, the Commission is planning a lighter procedure, promised Ms Bury, in response to Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portuguese) on the proposal concerning plant reproductive material. The Commission gave assurance that farmers would be able to exchange, but also “sell” their seeds. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)