Thread by @GMWatch

Leaked proposal to deregulate new #GMOs — European Commission plan gives in to #GMO seed corporations and means more risks and more market domination gmwatch.org/en/106-news/la…

"If this proposal goes through, it will mean these #GMOs will no longer be subject to risk assessment for health and environment, or traceability or labelling. This will increase biosafety risks and abolish consumer choice. And patents will erode farmers’ rights." — @nina_holland

@nina_holland "It'll lead to further monopolisation of the seed market. The assumption the Commission makes that new #GMOs will lead to more sustainability are based on industry's claims, not real evidence. In reality, this is a give-away to the biotech seed firms like @Bayer, Corteva & @BASF"

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF .@corporateeurope & @foeeurope have recently submitted a complaint to the EU Ombudsman into the v biased preparation work by DG SANTE in the lead up to this proposal. In particular, its consultation process was highly biased towards industry. The Ombudsman has started an enquiry.

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope The leaked🇪🇺proposal creates two categories of new #GMO plants. Ones in "Category 1 NGT" have zero safety checks:
▪️no risk assessment for health & environmental impacts
▪️no detection test required
▪️no traceability
▪️no consumer labelling
▪️no monitoring or coexistence measures

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope Consumers will have no idea if they're eating these (untested) new #GMOs. What we're seeing here is far-reaching deregulation of #GMOs and a breakdown in environmental and health protection, which the EU Health Commissioner Kyriakides and DG SANTE have always denied would happen.

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope New #GMOs will not be allowed in organic farming. But for the deregulated group, there will be no co-existence rules. It'll be impossible for organic farmers and breeders, as well as conventional farmers growing GMO-free crops, to avoid contamination & keep their fields #GMO-free

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope Corporations already dominating the patent pool on these techs, like Corteva, @Bayer & BASF, will be able with this proposal to enter the EU market with unlabelled & untraceable—but patented—#GMOs, which will further increase their control over farmers & food production in Europe

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope .@nina_holland: "DG SANTE has been under strong lobby influence from the #GMO seed multinationals who for yrs have called for this deregulation. They've been supported by a group of industry-linked scientists. This draft proposal means a complete undermining of the EU #GMO rules"

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope In March EU environment ministers gave a clear signal to the European Commission that it should maintain the precautionary principle, and for new #GMOs (NGTs) to continue to be subjected to risk assessment, labelling and the EU's other existing #GMO rules.

@nina_holland @Bayer @BASF @corporateeurope @foeeurope And in May 300+ organisations wrote a letter to European Commission Vice-President Timmermans calling on him to keep the EU #GMO rules in place for all #GMOs and therefore stop the planned deregulation of new GMOs. Over 400,000 EU citizens signed a petition making the same demand