FederBio and AssoBio on the European vote on NGTs

With today's vote that led to the final adoption of the European legislation on plants obtained through New Genomic Techniques (NGT), the European Parliament has chosen to exempt most new genetically modified organisms from fundamental requirements such as risk assessment, traceability, and labeling. This decision, according to FederBio and AssoBio, weakens the precautionary principle, reduces transparency for citizens and operators, and risks compromising freedom of choice along the entire European agri-food supply chain.

While expressing strong concern about the outcome of the vote, FederBio and AssoBio recognize the importance of the protections achieved thanks to the commitment of IFOAM Organics Europe and the mobilization of the European organic movement, which have allowed the ban on the use of NGTs in organic production and the mandatory labeling of seeds containing NGTs to be maintained. These are necessary tools to allow farmers to avoid the use of genetically modified reproductive material.

" The approval of this legislation represents a setback in terms of transparency and guarantees for farmers and consumers," said Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President of FederBio, and Nicoletta Maffini, President of AssoBio . "Fundamental issues such as traceability along the supply chain, labeling of products intended for consumers, and the availability of reliable identification and detection methods remain unresolved. Without these tools, it will be increasingly difficult to ensure the separation between GMO and non-GMO supply chains, with particularly serious consequences for the organic sector. "

The associations reiterate that NGTs remain, in all respects, genetic modification techniques and that their deregulation cannot be considered an effective response to the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security. The sustainability and resilience of European agricultural systems instead require investments in agroecology, participatory breeding, and innovation, enhancing cultivated biodiversity and the genetic heritage developed by farmers over generations.

Of particular concern, according to FederBio and AssoBio, is the lack of strengthening protections against the effects of patents on genetic resources and seeds. The possibility that genetic traits and plant characteristics could be subject to increasingly extensive intellectual property rights risks fostering further market concentration, limiting access to genetic resources, reducing freedom of research and selection, and increasing farmers' dependence on a small number of large multinationals.

" Europe cannot afford to jeopardize its food and seed sovereignty," Mammuccini and Maffini continue . "Agricultural biodiversity represents a strategic resource for addressing future challenges. This is why we will continue to call for a clear limitation on the scope of patents, ensuring they cannot extend to characteristics found in nature or obtained through conventional breeding processes. It is necessary to protect the work of farmers and the hundreds of small and medium-sized seed companies that form the backbone of the Italian and European sector ."

FederBio and AssoBio will continue to collaborate alongside IFOAM Organics Europe and with agricultural, scientific, and civil society organizations to ensure that the new regulation does not compromise farmers' right to GMO-free production, consumers' freedom of choice, and the development of European organics.