NCGA Calls EU Labeling Law Too Costly for Corn Growers (7-2-03)
The National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) says Wednesday’s European Parliament
vote for mandatory labeling of biotech crops is too costly for growers
and will further prohibit exportation of biotech crops to European
countries. The new law establishes strict labeling laws on food derived
from biotechnology and stringent traceability regulations.
“The new
legislation passed by the European Parliament will only further hinder
agricultural trade between the United States and Europe,” said
NCGA President Fred Yoder. “The vote today does not give us
confidence that the European Union (EU) is serious about trade nor
that the de facto moratorium on biotechnology will be lifted anytime
soon.”
The legislation
passed today, was first introduced in 2001 and is the result of demands
by EU member states fearful of biotechnology. The legislation calls
for strict rules for both the labeling of food products for the end
consumer and for the traceability of genetically modified organizations
(GMOs) for food and feed. The regulations require labeling of products
that contain 0.9 percent or more of GMOs adopted in the EU and 0.5
percent for unapproved varieties.
“We were
aware tolerance levels were being discussed, and are satisfied that
these are better than the levels we were hearing,” Yoder said.
“We consider this a step forward toward the possibility in getting
the illegal moratorium lifted.”
While the labeling
and traceability legislation meets one of the critical demands of
member states in order to lift the de facto ban on products derived
from biotechnology, it is unclear whether those countries will do
so. NCGA has pushed for years to abolish the moratorium and was pleased
this past May when the Bush administration filed a case in the World
Trade Organization (WTO) challenging the legality of the EU’s
actions.
“Biotechnology
is an integral part of feeding the world in the future and raising
the standard of living in developing countries,” continued Yoder.
“We will continue to push toward that end.”
It is estimated
the ban has cost growers $300 million per year in trade exports.