GM Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Brussels Roundup – Stasis for Animals, Tightrope for new GMOs

December 8, 2023 Natasha Foote

Next week, all eyes are on two key votes which will steer the future direction of the EU’s plans to loosen the rules governing new GMOs (aka new genetic technologies, or NGTs). Meanwhile, the European Commission finally put forward a slimmed down version of its animal welfare ‘package’ and lawmakers decided to exempt cattle from its plans to slash industrial emissions. Natasha Foote brings you up to speed in the latest goings on and the fun to come in Brussels. […]

Seeds of Europe – Centering Small Producers’ Voices in Seed Law Reform

December 5, 2023 Mathieu Willard

On November 28, in collaboration with SEED Luxemburg and the Greens/EFA, the Seeds4All project took part in the organisation of a conference at the European Parliament on the future of seeds. Delving into the heart of the matter, the main aim of the event was to spotlight the specific voices and urgent demands of artisan seed producers in the context of the reform of the European legislative framework applicable to the sale and exchange of seeds. […]

To Regulate Or Not To Regulate – NGTs Remain Highly Controversial

December 4, 2023 Marianne Landzettel

Parliament is leaning towards loosening the rules on New Genetic Technologies. What would change? NGT plants in ‘category 1’ (an estimated 94%) would be considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants. Marianne Landzettel reports on the state of play on both sides of the Atlantic. […]

Bugs from a Jug – Gene Edited Plants are Not the Only Things to Worry About

November 9, 2023 Marianne Landzettel

As many Europeans protest against new GMOs proposal by the European Commission another area of concern has emerged – soil microbes. It turns out that in the US, the agrochemical industry, without much fanfare, has already introduced commercial products containing new GMO microbes, with many more in the pipeline. So what are the concerns? Marianne Landzettel reports on a new report form Friends of the Earth US. […]

Seeds, New GMOs & Food Policy Councils – Diversity Event Comes to Dublin

October 31, 2023 Oliver Moore

The 12th Forum of the European Coordination of Let’s Liberate Diversity, held in the Irish capital, drew over 100 participants from all over Europe and beyond, including Minister of State at the Irish Department of Agriculture, Pippa Hackett. The importance of agrobiodiversity, of food policy councils and the risks of the proposed European seed marketing proposal emerged as key themes from a vibrant event held in Dublin last week. […]

A Frugal Farm to Fork – Update on Pesticides, new GMOs, Animal Welfare & Sustainable Food Systems

October 20, 2023 Natasha Foote

No progress for the Sustainable Food System Law and only the transport aspect of the animal welfare legislation surviving. Some progress is being made to move the SUR – Sustainable Use of Pesticides regulation – on, though member states and the environment committee in the Parliament may be pushing in opposite directions. And somehow, Parliament is finding time to really push hard and fast for new GMO’s. […]

GMO-Free Europe – Still Possible?

September 13, 2023 Ashley Parsons

In Brussels, resistance is brewing against the European Commission’s bold plans for new GMO technologies (NGTs) in plant breeding, unveiled on July 5. The stage for this showdown was set at the 10th GMO-Free Europe Conference, a collaborative effort between the GMO-Free Network and the Green European Parliament group. Here, a diverse coalition of 200+ experts, practitioners, scientists, consumers, and policy-makers converged to dissect the Commission’s proposal from every angle. Ashley Parsons reports. […]

Old Varieties and Short Production Circuits to Rebuild “Rural Solidarities”

September 7, 2023 Adèle Pautrat

In June 2023, we took advantage of the first fine summer days to visit a project run by the Réseau Meuse-Rhin-Moselle (RMRM), one of our close partners. Comprising around ten member associations, the RMRM aims at supporting and connecting initiatives that promote the preservation of old varieties and peasant breeding practices, in an area bounded by the three rivers that give it its name. […]

Seed Marketing Proposal Unveiled – First Key Takeaways

July 17, 2023 Mathieu Willard

The new proposal for Seed Marketing in the EU was presented by the Commission on July 5th. In 2013, a first attempt to revise this intricate legislation did not succeed in gaining parliamentary approval. So, what does the new proposal entail? And can we expect a different outcome this time around? […]

New Genetic Engineering – Small Cause, Big Effect

July 7, 2023 Benedikt Haerlin

The European Commission is proposing that plants that have been genetically modified at up to 20 different sites of the genome should be “considered equivalent to conventional plants”. This would be the end of the precautionary principle and transparent genetic engineering legislation as we know it. Op-ed by Benny Haerlin. […]

EU Seed Law Reform and New Genetic Engineering – Double Attack on our Seeds

July 5, 2023 ARC

July 5 2023, ARCHE NOAH today released a statement in response to the EU Commission’s proposals for revised seed marketing legislation and the deregulation of “new genomic techniques”. Seeds4All
supports the statement, which raises the alarm about the threat these proposals present to the future of genetic diversity in Europe and calls on agriculture ministers and MEPs to protect farmers, consumers and biodiversity. […]

Leak – Draft NGT Regulation and Impact Assessment revealed

June 15, 2023 ARC

In the interests of transparency, ARC2020 is making available the draft regulation on NGTs – New Genomic Techniques. Also made available is the Impact Assessment which accompanies it. […]

A Summer off? Commission flip flops on NGTs and Pesticides

May 17, 2023 ARC

While the debate intensifies around pesticides and new genomic techniques (NGTs), the European Commission appears to be in a political battle on many fronts as to whether these topics are on or off its agenda for the Summer. […]

Are NGTs the Cure to our Pesticide Addiction?

May 2, 2023 Mathieu Willard

In its inception impact assessment for the deregulation of GMOs, the Commission argues that plants produced through New Genomic Techniques would contribute to sustainability goals outlined in the European Green Deal’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. One of the main goals of the Farm to Fork Strategy is to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030. […]

GMO Deregulation Delayed – Where Are We At, Where Might We Be Going?

April 13, 2023 Mathieu Willard

The European Commission’s legislative proposal for the deregulation of new GMOs – or new genomic techniques as they are also known – is to be delayed from June 7th 2023 until at least the latter half of that month. Mathieu Willard contextualises recent events surrounding the controversial proposal with an overview of the current GMO regulatory framework and the possible policy options hinted at in an impact assessment leaked by AGRA FACTS. […]