The Commission’s proposal to loosen rules on certain new genetic techniques (NGTs) on Wednesday was strongly condemned by Austrian governing parties, opposition, and environmental organisations who fear it could threaten the country’s large organics sector.
Austria could be among the only EU member states to oppose the EU Commission’s proposal.
NGTs – or gene editing, as it is also known – describe several new scientific methods used to alter genomes to genetically engineer certain traits into plants.
“I consider a departure from the tried and tested principles to be grossly negligent,” said Clemens Stammler, the Greens’ agricultural spokesman and chairman of the Green farmers’ group.
He added that long-term consequences for the environment and health would often be difficult to predict, and the interactions between genes would also be difficult to assess. “I, therefore, consider a scientific risk assessment before marketing to be the minimum requirement,” he stressed.
The Greens’ senior partner in government, conservative ÖVP, also opposes a liberalisation of new genomic techniques. “The government programme clearly states that we will not agree to any readjustment of the gene editing legislation,” ÖVP lawmaker Klaus Lindinger said during an event in March.
However, Austria could be among the only countries to oppose the proposal in the Council of EU ministers. While criticism comes from Germany’s Green agriculture and environment ministers, the Liberals (FDP) in the Berlin coalition are staunch supporters of genomic techniques.
Austria is the EU country with the largest organics sector, in relative terms – an industry that is especially worried about the Commission proposal, as it fears that organic farmers might not be able to prove their products are gene-editing free if the plans go through.
Accordingly, criticism also came from the opposition, such as the centre-left SPÖ. “The EU Commission now wants to pretend that gene editing is harmless and almost natural. The gene editing lobby could not have wished for more,” said MEP Günther Sidl, who also wants to take action against the new regulation in the Environment Committee.
The NGO Global 2000 called out the proposal for “endangering the environment and biodiversity”, the association ARGE Gentechnik-frei described it as “the end for transparency and freedom of choice in the food sector”.
(Chiara Swaton I Julia Dahm)
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