Opponents of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have welcomed the fact that countries will not be able to unilaterally ban the import of GMO products.
The European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority, including all six Maltese MEPs, against a draft law proposed by the European Commission.
The proposal would have amended existing EU legislation and would have allowed member states to unilaterally restrict or prohibit the use or sale of EU-approved genetically modified food and feed on their territory.
MEPs, however, said the law would prove unworkable under single market rules and could lead to the reintroduction of border checks between pro- and anti-GMO countries.
“In theory the proposal sounds positive but in its current form it would be very difficult to implement,” said Alternattiva Demo-kratika chairman Arnold Cassola. The news follows a decision by the Maltese government earlier this month to ban the cultivation of GMOs in Malta, availing itself of an opt-out clause similar to that proposed on Wednesday.
Malta is facing a problem accessing animal feed that is GMO-free, so a ban would have been prohibitive
John Portelli, from the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement (MOAM), said that the organisation had welcomed the ban on cultivation but that banning imports would have been a step too far at present. “Malta is facing a problem accessing animal feed that is GMO-free, so a ban would have been prohibitive,” he said.
Mr Portelli, however, reiterated the organisation’s stand against both cultivation and importation, which he said threatened consumers’ rights by handing over control of food supplies to large corporations.
He also referred to the controversial Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which has raised concerns because of the different trade standards in the EU and the US, where producers are not obliged to label their products as containing GMOs.
Meanwhile, the European or-ganic federation, of which MOAM forms a part, lamented that the moratorium on the authorisation of new GMO products was shot down. “Every new GM crop authorisation threatens operators’ abilities to keep GMOs out of the organic and GM-free supply chain due to the increased risk of contamination and increased cost of preventative measures,” it said in a statement.
The European Commission said the legislative proposal will not be withdrawn and will now be discussed by EU ministers.
When contacted for the government’s position, an environment ministry spokeswoman said only that the proposal was still under discussion.