GMOs Preparation of the Environment Council, 9-10 Dec

Brussels, 6 December 2002

The Council could also reach a political agreement on the Commission's Proposal for a Regulation concerning the traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the traceability of food and feed products produced from GMOs and amending Directive 2001/18 . Discussion on this proposal comes soon after the agreement on the proposal by Agricultural Ministers last week on GMO food and feed, notably with regard to the issue of thresholds for acceptance of traces of GMO in non-GM products (labelling required if GMO presence is above 0.9%; an 0.5% threshold applies for the adventitious presence of unauthorised GMOs which have received a favourable EU scientific risk assesment).

Outstanding issues concern, notably, the transmission of information on GMO content in bulk shipments: the Presidency has proposed a system of documentation which will require listing the unique identifiers of the GMOs that have been used in shipments.

An agreement has also yet to be found on where labelling thresholds for GMOs intended for processing into food and feed will be established. The Commission will argue that these should be the same as those agreed for final food and feed products, to ensure consistency and coherence.

DN: MEMO/02/287 Date: 06/12/2002