A vote by MEPs today (Wednesday, February 7) to allow the development of plants that can deliver higher yields and be more climate resistant is a “step in the right direction,” according to major European farming organisations.
A majority of MEPs voted to support the European Commission’s proposal on new genomic techniques (NGTs) for plants which alter the genetic material of an organism.
Currently, all plants obtained by NGTs are subject to the same rules as genetically modified organism (GMOs) but the commission has proposed two different categories and two sets of rules for NGT plants.
MEPs have agreed to support a “simpler process for NGT plants equivalent to conventional plants” while others must follow stricter rules and there would be also be mandatory labelling of all products.
They also agreed that all NGT plants should remain “prohibited” in organic production.
According to Fianna Fáil, MEP Billy Kelleher, NGTs are of “pivotal importance for the Irish tillage and horticultural sectors”.
“This NGT legislation is very important. It has the capacity to ensure that in the future fewer pesticides will be needed to maintain production levels or even increase yields by ensuring that plants and crops are bred to become resistant to certain diseases.
“In terms of how it will affect farmers, it may lead to increased yields and lower input costs for plant protection products.
“Furthermore it will help Irish agriculture to continue to exceed the pesticide reduction targets as contained in the Farm to Fork Strategy which set a target of a 50% reduction by 2030,” Kelleher added.
Copa-Cogeca also said the vote will be seen by the EU farming community as “a new step in the right direction”.
“NGTs are among the practical solutions that can help our agriculture reconcile production and adaptation to climate change while maintaining cutting-edge research in the EU.
“NGTs could no longer remain within the same regulatory framework as GMOs. The situation was understandable and anachronic from the point of view of science and farmers,” it said.
The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) also welcomed the results of the vote in the European Parliament today and said NGTs are “no silver bullet but certainly a significant valuable resource”.
But the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming, IFOAM Organics Europe, believe the MEP’s decision “is a step backwards in terms of biosafety and freedom of choice for consumers”.
Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe, said: “Today’s vote by MEPs is full of contradiction as it acknowledges some major issues associated to NGTs deregulation but fails to provide concrete solutions and would leave farmers and breeders exposed to corporate takeover of genetic resources through patents.”
Separately MEPs also discussed today how to respond to the demands of farmers and rural communities across Europe and how to engage “in a dialogue to preserve a sustainable agriculture”.
During a debate on “empowering farmers” MEPs were mindful of the recent Europe-wide, farmer led protests that have taken place and heard Maros Sefcovic, executive vice-president of the European Commission, tell the European Parliament that the agri-food sector must remain “competitive, with decent incomes”.
He said it was the commission’s job to “support farmers in the green transition”.