Limits of the current EU regulatory framework on GMOs: risk of not authorized GM event-traces in imports

• Main Author: Roïz Julie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2014-11-01
• Series: Oilseeds and fats, crops and lipids
• Subjects: GMO; regulatory framework; EU; technical solution; low level presence policy
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2014037
• ISSN: 2272-6977; 2257-6614

Since their first commercialization in the 1990’s, the number of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cultivated around the world has steadily increased. This development has been accompanied by the development of regulatory and policy environments which vary from one country to another. Today, the European food and feed sectors are faced with the increasing risk of finding traces of not authorized GMOs in imports. Under the EU zero tolerance for unapproved GMOs, this situation may lead to trade disruptions with important cost implications. A regulatory environment which minimizes the risk of such disruption is therefore indispensable. To address this issue, the EU has adopted the “technical solution” but this remains insufficient to provide the necessary legal certainty which is needed to operate in such context. More comprehensive approaches are considered globally through low level presence policies.