EU Approves Long-Pending GMO Products for Import

Posted by Jackie Pucci|24 April 2015

In a move toward loosening its notoriously strict regulations on genetically modified seeds, the European Union announced on Friday it approved the import of 10 new types of maize, soybeans, cotton and oilseed rape as either human food or animal feed for 10 years, in addition to the 58 GM crops already authorized.

Seven other GM crops already in use were also extended by 10 years.

Industry group EuropaBio said the authorizations were a step in the right direction and would benefit European livestock farmers after a standstill over a year and a half.

“European livestock farmers in particular benefit hugely from internationally traded GM crops for their animal feed, and it is important to grant them freedom of choice. We hope the Commission will now normalize what has become a dysfunctional approval process and continue approving upcoming applications. There are over 40 additional GMO applications for import still pending in the system, which should be examined and processed without undue delay,” said Beat Späth, director of agricultural biotechnology at EuropaBio.

Earlier this week, the European Commission also announced it will give member states the final say on whether or not to accept GMO imports. According to an article in Deutsche Welle, environmental organizations like Greenpeace criticized new measures, arguing that it “opened the floodgates to a new wave of GMO crops, to please U.S. biotech corporations and trade negotiators.”