EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT STRENGTHENS GMO RULES BUT GREENPEACE DISAPPOINTED AT EP'S FAILURE ON KEY ISSUE

12 April 2000

STRASBOURG -- Greenpeace today gave a cautious welcome to the European Parliament’s revision of directive on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The revised directive improves upon the existing one on several aspects but fails to make companies liable for potential damages and does nothing to prevent a gene flow from genetically engineered (GE) crops to conventional crops and wild plants.

"The revised directive on the deliberate release of GMOs will not protect the environment nor consumers adequately," said Ceri Lewis of Greenpeace. "But it does make releases of GMOs into the environment more difficult for companies and it does raise certain safety measures." Greenpeace is opposed to any releases of GMOs into the environment.

The revision of the directive reflects massive European opposition to releases of GMOs, which have increased since the directive was adopted ten years ago. "None of the few GMOs approved within the EU so far would pass the revised directive, because of the improved safety measures and more democratic rules procedure," said Lewis.

However, the Parliament failed to agree on liability and suggested it to be included in a special directive on environmental liability, which could take more than five years to materialise. "It is a scandal that the parliament failed to put the financial responsibility where it belongs, to the biotech industry," said Lewis. "If these crops were as safe as companies claim them to be, they should have no problems in accepting full liability for them."

While the first reading of the revised directive insisted on preventing the cross breeding of GE crops with conventional crops and wild relative plants, the majority of European parliamentarians changed their position.

"Once GMOs are released into the environment and are allowed to cross breed with wild relatives, the genes are impossible to call back," said Lewis. "The European Parliament admits that the problem needs to be assessed, but assessing is a poor excuse for doing nothing."

For example oilseed rape has dozens of wild relatives in the European environment, most of them weeds and all capable of cross breeding with a GE oilseed. In such a case any genetically engineered trait e.g. herbicide resistance would be transferred to these wild relatives.

Greenpeace calls on the Environment Ministers meeting next June to amend the directive to include a full liability and to include measures to stop gene flow. The original directive 90/220 was adopted in 1990. It was widely criticised by environmental and consumer organisations for failing to protect the environment and for not giving consumers a real choice due to inadequate labelling rules.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Ceri Lewis EU GMO Adviser, Greenpeace: +32 486503857
- Isabelle Meister: GE campaigner, Greenpeace International, +41 79 418 4455
- Mika Railo, Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 20 5249 548

Follow Greenpeace's GE campaign on the web: www.greenpeace.org/~geneng/gehome.htm