The European Parliament voted in Strasbourg today, the Regulation on traceability and labeling of genetically modified food and feed products derived therefrom, is preparing to remove what was considered the last hurdle to overcome the moratorium de facto GMO, which, when in 1999 it was decided by the EU Council, was justified with the absence of an appropriate regulatory framework at EU level.
The continued moratorium had led, on 13 May, the U.S. government to bring an action before the World Trade Organization, bringing into the open in front of a trade war between the two sides of the Atlantic until then remained, despite the pressures and demands of the American agro-industrial groups, precariously quiet.
But if, as seems likely, the plenary in Strasbourg were to confirm the position that prevailed last May 22 in the Environment Committee, removed the obstacle of the moratorium, American exporters are likely to be able to comply with the regulations, of having to accounts with administrative duties so onerous as to constitute an insurmountable barrier to the difficult access to the rich European market.
Among the most contested provisions that require the labeling of products containing genetically modified ingredients even when the transformation process has destroyed all evidence of their presence (such as cooking oils). Traceability requires that all genetically modified ingredients there are documents that can be traced back to the farm that produced them. According to the American Association of soybean "these rules will force companies to produce huge quantities of documents, costs and difficulties arise constitute a clear and deliberate non-tariff barrier to access to the European market. "
MEPs seem intent on lowering the threshold below which the presence of GMOs is not at the compulsory labeling from 0.9% to 0.5 %. They should also ask, in response to requests from several environmental groups contrary to the GMOs, the Regulation requires member states to take steps to prevent contamination between GM crops and foods and genetically modified ones and the continuation of the moratorium until these measures have been identified and implemented.
Commissioner for Agriculture Franz Fischler said that "it is justified use of co-existence between different cultures as an excuse to maintain the moratorium. "The Council appears split on the issue yet. In support of the Commissioner, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands stressed that Member States are to undertake the their rules to ensure the coexistence of different types of productions and have the short-term waiver of the moratorium, but Belgium, Austria, Portugal (and, less intransigence, France and Italy) dragging their feet. An environment that does not allow all ' optimistic in comparison with the U.S..
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