Written by Tyler R. Etter
The European Parliament has rejected a plan by the European Commission that would allow member
states to ban genetically modified (GM) food or feed on their territories. The rejection was held by 577
votes to 77, with 38 abstentions.
Three feed organizations, COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC, said they were relieved at the outcome. The
organizations conducted an assessment of the impact of switching from GM to non-GM soy, finding that
such a switch would result in an increase of costs around 10%. According to the report, the resulting
costs across the EU would consist of 2.8 billion euros. Following the proposal would impair the
competitiveness of the industry, both domestically and in the import sector.
Giovanni La Via, the leader of the vote, mentioned the concerns about the proposal’s integration with
the EU’s single market goal, and the overall feasibility, noting that “there was no evaluation of the
potential consequences or of other available options.” The Commission suggested that the proposal
should be modeled after the EU law for GMOs intended for cultivation, but the difficulties adapting a
similar approach for a trade oriented issues will have to be evaluated.
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