Data presented for the approval process are not representative of the imported products
Tuesday, 17 December 2019
Already 65 types (‘events’) of genetically engineered plants are currently allowed for import and usage in food and feed in the EU that are resistant to herbicides, especially glyphosate. In recent years, the EU Parliament has repeatedly voted for higher standards of risk assessment. Similar demands were made by experts from several EU member states and Testbiotech. Nevertheless, the EU Commission approved nearly all the applications for import.
EFSA confirms: available data are insufficient to assess risks of herbicide resistant plants
Thursday, 14 November 2019
Testbiotech has filed a new legal challenge against EU approval for the import of genetically engineered maize. The General Court of the European Union confirmed the start of the proceedings (T-534/19) and asked the EU Commission for a response. The new legal challenge is levelled at the import approval for genetically engineered maize produced by Bayer (Monsanto). The maize has more than one genetically engineered trait. As a result, it is doubly resistant to the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate. In addition, the plants themselves produce six insecticidal toxins.
New warning on the spread of GE organisms in natural populations
13 November 2019 / A new report presented in Berlin today looks at the risks of introducing genetically engineered organisms into natural populations, including potential consequences for nature conservation. Relevant examples are genetically engineered flies, bees, trees and corals, as well as the use of genome editing to reconstruct mammoths.
The EU Parliament has in recent years adopted around 40 resolutions against further approvals for the import of genetically engineered (GE) plants. One of the criticisms was a lack of adequate and sufficient risk assessment. Experts of several member states raised similar criticisms. Nevertheless, the EU Commission gave the green light to all these imports. The results of the international research project RAGES now show that the concerns of EU Parliament are fully justified.
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