The pesticide industry's toxic lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork

In order to tackle the grave threat of the biodiversity crisis, the EU will table a proposal for targets for the reduction of pesticide use. This has put the pesticide industry into survival mode. A new leaked document from pesticides lobby group CropLife Europe shows that while it talks a big talk about backing the Green Deal, in reality it is employing a wide variety of lobbying tactics to undermine ambitious, binding targets.

A cross-party coalition of MEPs co-signed a letter to the European Commission demanding EU-funded research into the potential risks and analytical detection of genetically engineered organisms, stressing this is needed to create informed policies on the matter.

The letter sent 8 February, emphasises that the EU executive cannot just invest in EU research to advance genetically modified (GM) technology and its applications, but should also “urgently invest in EU research to deepen our knowledge of potential risks, and to enable the detection and traceability of GM products across the food chain”.

A petition calling for a European conference on patents is finding increasing support. The goal is to stop patents on conventionally bred plants and animals. Recent examples of these include patents on barley, bush melons, lettuce and tomatoes. Many of these patents also cover food, including beer. The Free Brewers, which has members in Germany, Austria and Luxembourg, has now started a campaign to support the petition. The European farmers’ umbrella organisation, COPA / COGECA, previously declared its support for the petition.

“From our perspective, these patents are an abuse of patent law that weaken the protection of plant varieties and seriously restrict the freedom to operate of breweries. We, therefore, fear drastic consequences for the whole of our economic sector,” explains Jürgen Keipp, head of The Free Brewers.

Dear Commissioner Gabriel,

Brussels, 8 February 2022

We are writing to ask for a dedicated EU research into the potential risks and analytical detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) engineered with new genetic engineering technology, such as CRISPR/Cas.

These GMOs fall within the scope of the EU’s existing GMO legislation, which aims to protect public health and the environment from any adverse effects they may cause. At the same time, they bring new challenges for the application of EU GMO legislation:

 GMOs developed with so-called genome-editing technology pose new and different risks from both conventional breeding and GMOs commercialised today.

 Existing GMO surveillance strategies are insufficient to detect the presence of these new GMOs, especially when they do not contain foreign genetic material.

Slow Food Europe is back with a second episode on the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, which was proposed by the EU Commission last year to accelerate the transition towards sustainable food systems in Europe.

Last month, the EU Parliament voted in favor of this strategy despite repeated lobbying attacks from the agrifood industry. Slow Food warmly welcomed this vote, and took the opportunity to gather three panelists who have worked hard on the Farm to Fork Strategy since the start:

Nina Holland, researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory

Martin Dermine, policy officer at PAN Europe

Tilly Metz, Member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance at the European Parliament

Commission reportedly aims to exempt some new GMOs from safety regulations within four years and change regulation for all new GMOs within 10 years

In April this year the European Commission's health division DG SANTE published a "working document" in which it announced that the EU's GMO regulations are "not fit for purpose". The Commission made suggestions that could lead to crop plants produced using experimental new GM techniques such as gene editing being exempted from the requirements of the regulation. This could mean that these crop plants would not be subjected to safety checks, GMO labelling, or traceability and monitoring requirements.

Experts call for agroecology, organic and regenerative agriculture to take centre stage at UN Food Systems Summit in New York.

WWF, Oxfam, IUCN and ECOWAS among 230 organisations to sign ambitious manifesto; 580 individual experts also sign on.

7 JULY, BRUSSELS – Over 800 international organisations, farming groups and food experts want agroecology, organic and regenerative agriculture to top the agenda at this year’s UN Food Systems Summit. The voices from six continents are calling on governments and businesses to take action once and for all on the “damaging” status quo in global farming.

European retailers take a strong stand against deregulating new GMOs

New GMOs in Europe? Slow Food Europe podcast with our Policy Coordinator

Commission opens public consultation on the review of the seed legislation

Leading EU supermarkets such as Aldi, Rewe and Lidl say that all products stemming from new genetic engineering methods such as CRISPR/Cas, TALENs and others, must be classified as GMOs.

Gene editing could revolutionise agriculture, with some scientists promising healthier and more productive crops and animals, but will consumers want to eat them?

With the first gene edited crops recently approved for sale, Emily Thomas hears why this technology might be quicker, cheaper and more accurate than the older genetic engineering techniques that produced GMOs, and asks whether these differences could make it more acceptable to a deeply sceptical, even fearful public.

Contributors:

Jennifer Kuzma, North Carolina State University;

Hiroshi Ezura, University of Tsukuba and Sanatech Seed;

Neth Daño, ETC Group;

Philippe Dumont, Calyxt