EU COMMISION'S FAILURE TO ACT PUTS EUROPE AT RISK FOR MORE GENETIC CONTAMINATION WHILE GMO-FREE SEED SUPPLIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR EU FARMERS

18 January 2002

EU Commission's failure to act puts Europe at risk for more genetic contamination while GMO-free seed supplies are available for EU farmers

Brussels 18th January, 2002 - The inaction of the European Commission is going to cause more genetic contamination of agriculture in Europe this year, Greenpeace warned today. (1)

As the planting season approaches, the EU Commission has not yet delivered its long awaited proposal for a Directive dealing with genetic contamination of seeds. The Directive should establish a threshold of tolerance as low as the analytical detection level (around 0.1%) for the "adventitious" (i.e. accidental) presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in conventional seeds. But the Commission is under pressure from the genetic engineering industry which demands much higher thresholds, claiming that non contaminated seeds are not available on the market.

Proving the industry's false claim, Greenpeace today put forward a list of more than 30 US companies committed to providing GMO-free seeds (under 0.1% threshold of contamination). The list, which includes maize, cotton and soybean seeds, has been established by CropChoice.com, a US farm information bureau. (2)

"Despite the claims by the industry that a 'zero tolerance' policy for genetic contamination is unrealistic and impractical, the market has now proven that GMO-free seeds are available even in the US, which is the biggest producer of GMOs in the world", said Lorenzo Consoli, GMO Advisor from Greenpeace European Unit.

"The only reason why the GMO advocates are demanding higher thresholds is that they want to allow genetic contamination," added Consoli.

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, 94.6% of EU citizens demand to be fully informed about the possible transgenic origin of their food (3).

It is the EU Commission's duty to initiate legislation that ensures conventional and organic crops are not subject to creeping genetic contamination. It should also ensure that the presence of GMOs in seeds above the analytical detection level should result in an obligation to apply the GMO labelling and traceability rules.

The present vacuum in the EU legislation on this issue has led some countries to start passing their own national rules to limit seed contamination.

Austria has introduced a law, effective from the beginning of January this year, which applies the 0.1% standard to conventional and organic seeds (4).

Italy is set to announce its own rules today. GMO contamination of seeds, once allowed, is likely to increase in percentage every year, as seeds are planted, threatening the survival of conventional and organic agriculture. "Immediate action must be taken to introduce an adequate EU-wide legislation ensuring that seeds planted in Europe remain GMO-free. We hold the EU Commission responsible for preserving Europe's agricultural future and ensuring that the European farmers can start benefiting from increasing GMO-free seed supplies," concluded Consoli.

(3) Eurobarometer 55.2 of December 2001 "Europeans, science and technology" available on: http:/europa.eu.int/comm/research/press/2001/pr0612en-report.pdf

(4) According to the Austrian law, the first test has to show no contamination at all, and in

control tests the contamination must be below 0.1 percent. This applies for conventional and organic seed. It is not clear whether, with the introduction of a possibly higher EU threshold, Austria would be seen by the Commission as disrupting the EU single market and forced to modify its law.