EU to relax genetic modification rules
The EU is set to ease its labelling requirements for genetically modified foods. Negotiators from the European Parliament and member states have agreed that products where existing genes have been "modified" but no foreign genes have been inserted will no longer require mandatory labelling. What are the ramifications?
Necessary response to climate change
In view of the ecological and economic advantages, Der Standard supports the easing of restrictions:
“The potential benefits are substantial: with the help of gene‑editing tools, plants can be adapted more quickly and effectively to climate stress or made more resistant to diseases, which in turn could reduce the use of pesticides. Forgoing this opportunity would be irresponsible in these times of climate change. Researchers can also use the technology to target allergens or improve nutritional content. To conduct field trials with such plants in Europe, the rules must first be liberalised. Many countries already have a significant head start in this respect.”
A socially unjust deal
Consumers will pay the price for this deal, criticises taz:
“In future, many people will end up eating food made from such [genetically modified] plants without even realising it. … This is also socially unjust. Those who can afford it will still have the option of switching to organic products, where GM crops remain banned. But for those who can't afford higher prices, avoiding 'GMO foods' will hardly be possible.”
Policy shift is a small miracle
For Salzburger Nachrichten, the top priority is that food remains healthy for consumers:
“In recent decades, the debate on how to deal with advances in genetic engineering has at times been heavily overloaded with ideology. On the one hand, the good and widely unquestioned use of genetic engineering in medicine; on the other, the bad and ultimately overregulated use of genetic engineering in agriculture. Viewed this way, it is almost a small miracle that a change of course long demanded by many voices in the scientific community is now set to take place at EU level. … What is crucial in this process is that the interests of consumers and the demand for healthy food are not neglected.”