Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-104"
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".
I warmly congratulate Mr Bowe on his report on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs. This subject, which has given rise to much debate, is a very topical one, given that yesterday two European regulations entered into force which require manufacturers to label “food and food ingredients” containing more than 1% of GMOs, together with “genetically modified additives and flavourings”, although without setting out any threshold value in this case. As a consumer, I am very pleased about this compulsory labelling because it will allow us to make an informed choice, although I would have preferred stricter rules that required a very clear indication on the outside packaging! Yet this is a positive first step, since it has led several large firms to stop putting GMOs into their products.
Coming back to the issue under discussion today, this is a proposal to amend Directive 90/220/EEC, which covers both the deliberate release of GMOs for experimental purposes and their deliberate release with a view to putting the products concerned on the market. In the light of the progress of scientific research in this field, it seemed vital to clarify the scope of this legislation in order to give due protection to consumer health as also to the environment. The proposals of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy set out a strict and transparent framework, thus responding fully to consumer concerns.
The purpose of the three main amendments I support is as follows:
to prevent any accidental contamination of fields by cross-pollination between GMO and non-GMO crops. To that end, we must require either minimum distances between fields in which GMO crops are grown and those reserved for traditional crops, or that GMO crops are confined to special greenhouses because of the inherent risk of genetic pollution;
to prevent any risk of antibiotic resistance developing as a result of the transfer of the resistant gene from one species to another. So we must ban the release of all GMOs containing an antibiotic-resistant marker gene;
to impose a strict liability system on producers. Like the rapporteur, I am convinced that the person legally responsible for releasing a GMO into the environment must assume full civil liability for any damage to human health or the environment. This principle of responsibility, together with that of GMO traceability and, in particular, the precautionary principle, will enable us to limit the risks as far as possible! Given the uncertainties that remain in this area, we must be as prudent as we can!
Let me conclude by repeating and emphasising that we must listen to what the people of Europe expect of us! Public opinion has in fact expressed its reservations about the development of ‘Frankenstein foods’ on several occasions and its desire for healthy and natural food. So we must be the spokespeople of this desire to preserve high-quality food in the European Union!"@en1
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