www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

The European Commission reported on the national measures to ensure
co-existence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic
farming, March 2006.

They concluded that the development of EU-wide legislation on the
co-existence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic
farming "does not appear justified at this time".

What is clear from the Commission's report is that while some member states
have set in place reasonable science based rules to achieve a fair
co-existence regime, others have clearly developed disabling rules that are
aimed at denying choice to farmers and consumers.

"We note that the Commission's report makes reference to these
discriminatory and disproportionate measures. We look to the Commission to
ensure that the rules which Member States put in place meet the Commission's
own guidelines on co-existence published in July 2003. These guidelines
provide a rational basis to set in place procedures to meet the statutory
labeling requirements," says Simon Barber, Director of the Plant
Biotechnology Unit at EuropaBio - the EU Association for Bioindustries.

Co-existence is not a new issue; many studies and farming practices have
been dealing with issues of growing one crop along side another crop. The EU
has set in place thresholds of 0.9% for GM material found in non-GM crops,
under this threshold there is no obligation to label harvested crops as
containing GM. The recently published Joint Research Centre Study provides
the background scientific and technical data that indicates co-existence can
function in the EU and that the Community's labeling standards can be
reasonably achieved. The report concludes that crop production at the 0.9 %
threshold set by the EU is feasible, with few or no changes in agricultural
practices.

"Those opposed to GMOs should stop using co-existence as a means to deny
freedom of choice to Europe's farmers and consumers. The record of
successful co-existence between GM and non-GM in Spain since 1998 is proof
that co-existence between different farming methods works," concluded Simon
Barber.

[www.europabio.org]

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