EU vote on new genomic techniques a 'win for farmers and nature' - Kelleher
Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher has said that an EU vote on new genomic techniques (NGTs) is a "win for farmers and for nature".
The European Parliament this week adopted rules on NGTs.
It expects these new rules will help in "facilitating access to new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields and require fewer pesticides".
MEP Kelleher said that NGTs are "fundamentally an acceleration of conventional breeding – no more, no less".
“The potential of NGTs to deal with many of our challenges in farming and nature are immense.
“What this regulation shows to me is that ecology and technology can go hand-in-hand and are not in competition with each other."
New genomic techniques
Kelleher said that with accelerated breeding, pest-resistant crops can be developed, "thereby reducing the number of pesticides used in our farming".
"They can also help reduce the level of fertilisers used in agriculture. This will lower costs for farmers and reduce the environmental impact of pesticide use in food and water supplies," he said.
“This is good for the farmers’ bottom lines and good for nature and water quality. It’s a win-win.
According to Kelleher, many groups have "tried to scaremonger on this issue".
"NGTs are not traditional genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," he said.
"They are safe and precise, mimicking conventional breeding with pinpoint accuracy."
'A blow for food safety and farmers'
However, Sinn Féin MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion have strongly criticised the passing of the new law, saying it is a "blow for food safety and farmers".
Despite both MEPs working with the Left Group to try and stop what they describe as a "harmful law", or "at least to improve it", the law was passed by the European Parliament.
MEP Boylan said it is "really disappointing" to see this law passed.
"It’s also disappointing that the MEPs from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted to support this change," she said.
'Paying the price'
Sinn Féin has described NGTs as "essentially just a new name for GMOs", which had "previously been tightly regulated by the parliament".
MEP Funchion said the "only clear winners from this proposal are the multinational biotechnology and agro-chemical giants who stand to profit from weaker regulation and greater control over our food systems".
“Farmers will once again be the ones paying the price. This regulation flies in the face of the objective of strengthening the position of farmers in the supply chain," she said.
