EP Briefing 2002-07-01: Tighter rules on traceability for GMO products (codecision - amendments to draft regulation)

Strasbourg, 25 June 2002

Antonios TRAKATELLIS (EPP-ED, GR) will be presenting the first of two draft legislative resolutions on GMOs. A majority of MEPs in the Environment Committee is demanding more stringent rules on labelling and traceability for food and feed products derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The committee broadly welcomed the objectives of the Commission proposal on traceability of GMOs and food and feed produced from GMOs. Traceability means the ability to track GMOs and GMO products throughout the production and distribution chains, thus facilitating quality control and enabling products to be withdrawn if necessary. However, many Members feel the proposal does not go far enough and therefore call for even stricter rules.

The committee is proposing for an amendment saying that, when placing GMO products on the market, operators must ensure that either the words 'This product is derived from an animal fed with GM feed' or 'This products contains [name of the ingredient] derived from an animal fed with GM feed' appear on the label or in any advertising for the product.

Further amendments call for effective measures to combat the uncontrolled spread of GMO products in order to prevent the accidental presence of GMOs in food or feed and for the regulation to provide a framework for traceability in accordance with the precautionary principle. Another amendment demands that, in order to ensure the traceability of animal products derived from animals fed with GM feed, the animals themselves should be traceable too. Given that health or other problems may take time to become evident, a period of ten years (rather than five) is regarded as necessary to ensure that operators' records are properly maintained. Finally, MEPs stress that human health and the environment must always take priority over the internal market or any other commercial consideration.

Antonios TRAKATELLIS (EPP-ED, GR)
Report on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation concerning traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC
(COM(2001) 182 - C5-0380/2001 - 2001/0180(COD))
Doc.: A5-0229/2002 [may not be available yet]

Procedure: Codecision procedure (1st reading)
Debate: 02.07.200

European Parliament Briefing 2002-07-01
http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default_en.htm