Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-24-Speech-4-143"
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"en.20021024.6.4-143"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is important, in the light of Mr Graefe zu Baringdorf's question, to remember that we are discussing the adventitious presence of GMOs which are licensed in the European Union. We are not discussing the release of GMOs, but the definition of a further quality standard in the marketing of conventional seed.
Parliament adopted the proposal for a regulation on the traceability and labelling of GMOs or genetically modified food and feedingstuffs at first reading in June, calling for a threshold value of 0.5%. I agree with the Commission here that this value is pitched too low and is impracticable. A tolerance threshold of 1% for the adventitious presence of GMOs in non-GM products is realistic.
In setting threshold values for seed, which is what we are discussing here, the Commission has to take due account of Parliament's and the Council's suggested thresholds in the procedure mentioned. The threshold values for the adventitious presence of GMOs need to be coordinated in the two texts.
I should also like to stress that uncontrolled reproduction represents another particular and potential source of GMOs in food and feed. Reproduction seed is not subject to any mandatory quality testing and is not therefore tested for the presence of GMOs. That needs to be made perfectly clear here.
The Commission's biotechnology strategy sets the coexistence of various types of cultivation as an important priority. Coexistence is only possible if we have reasonable threshold values as, technically, wind-borne pollen can never be discounted in nature. One hundred percent purity was never possible for biological reasons and never will be in the future. Threshold values for product purity are standard and necessary in numerous industries. In the organic farming sector, for example, there is a threshold value of 5%. That means that products labelled as organic products may contain up to 5% of certain non-organic ingredients. I say that for the benefit of the Greens.
The important criterion must be that the statutory framework is practicable. More importantly, it must be in keeping with WTO rules and must not hamper the development of biotechnology in Europe by tying it up in unnecessary red tape."@en1
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