European Parliament Excludes GMOs from Organic Agriculture

European Parliament Excludes GMOs
from Organic Agriculture

May 14, 1997

Environmental, consumer and animal welfare organizations were among those celebrating last week when the European Parliament voted on Wednesday 14/5 to exclude genetically modified organisms from being described as "organic".
In July last year, the Commission published its proposal for a new Council Regulation supplementing the existing Regulation (EEC) N 2092/91 on the organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agriculture products and foodstuffs to include livestock production (COM(96) 366). The draft regulation is intended to extend the scope of Regulation 2092/91 to include provisions concerning organically reared animals, such as the origin of the animal, livestock feed, housing and welfare conditions, what medication is allowable, etc.
After a lengthy debate in the plenary session on Tuesday 13/5, a total of 125 amendments to the Commission's proposal were put to the vote in the Parliament by Christine Barthet-Mayer (F, ERA), rapporteur for the parliamentary Agriculture Committee. Among the amendements adopted by the Parliament were all three amendments proposed by the Agriculture Committe aimed at excluding GMOs from being allowed under the organic farming label.
A more detailed report about these amendments to the new Regulation will be included in the next FoEE Biotechnology Programme Mailout (Vol. 3, Issue 4 to be published 15.06.97).