July 2002: Following Parliament's vote on the proposals
Dear
Thank you very much for your letter regarding GMOs and the British government's position on this proposal. As you know, the European Parliament this July voted on two proposals - on 'GMOs: traceability and labelling' and 'Food safety: genetically modified food and feed'.
I can assure you that I voted for the comprehensive labelling and traceability of GMO food, something we feel very strongly about as Greens. The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, of which I am a member, has been following these issues very closely and fighting for strict labelling and traceability rules. I completely share the concerns you have expressed regarding GMOs - we do not yet know enough about their long-term effects to be at all lax in the way we legislate in this area.
The outcome of the vote this time was very positive for our position, as you may have seen in reports in national newspapers yesterday. The Parliament voted for all GM food and feed products to be labelled and to be traceable irrespective of whether they contain DNA/protein or not. Unauthorised GMOs or GM materials may not be present in any food or feed, in the Parliament's view. The Commission proposed a threshold of 1% which was rejected. The labelling threshold applies only to GMO derivatives (such as sugar, starch, tomato paste) accidentally present in conventional food/ feed only, and shall be 0.5% maximum, and this threshold shall be reviewed as and when science and technology allow. This is a great improvement on the original proposal.
However, this vote was only the first reading of the proposal. It will now go to Member State governments for their position, and will come back to the Parliament for a second reading. While the outcome this time round was positive, it was only won with a narrow majority so the pressure needs to be kept up, especially on Labour and Conservative MEPs. The UK government is also taking an unacceptable position on these proposals, and I therefore suggest that you also write to your MP on this issue as well as the relevant Government Minister.
Greens in the European Parliament have been leading the campaign for consumers to have the right to know what is in the food that they are purchasing. Caroline Lucas and I will continue to fight against the lobbying of the EU and member state governments by the GM industry. It is totally unacceptable that they should want to force GM products onto our markets without proper labelling, whilst at the same time campaigning against accepting liability. You can be assured of our support for your views.
Yours sincerely,
Jean Lambert MEP
London Region, Green Party
June 2002: Before Parliament's vote on the proposal
Dear
RE: GMOs traceability, labelling and feed
Thank you very much for your letter regarding GMOs traceability, labelling and feed. I completely share the concerns you have expressed regarding GMOs - we do not yet know enough about their long-term effects to be at all lax in the way we legislate in this area.
The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, of which I am a member, has been following these issues very closely. Most recently, we have been working on the Commission proposals on 'GMOs: traceability and labelling' and 'Food safety: genetically modified food and feed'. These proposals will be voted on by the European Parliament in its plenary session next week in Strasbourg.
As Greens, we feel very strongly that GM foods should be fully and comprehensively labelled. Ideally, we would like a 0% labelling threshold for the accidental presence of unauthorised GM materials in both food products and animal feed. However, as this is not scientifically possible at present, the Greens have tabled amendments pushing for a 'lowest achievable threshold' for GM materials, to be reviewed downwards as tracing methods progress. This should replace the Commission's proposed 1% labelling threshold which is unacceptably high.
Another point of contention is whether animal products derived from GMO-fed animals should be labelled, as well as food and feed produced with the aid of a GMO. The Greens have been pushing for these products, too, to go through a full authorisation procedure before they go on sale and to be fully labelled. My colleague, Caroline Lucas (Green MEP South East) recently tabled amendments on this point in the Industry Committee. The Greens also support a comprehensive traceability scheme, with a full documentation system, for GMO products, processing aids produced from GMOs and animals fed on GM feed. We must know where our food comes from.
Up to now, only the Parliament's Environment Committee has voted on these proposals. It is their position that the whole of Parliament will subsequently vote on next week. As the position currently stands, it is very positive and very much in line with the Green position. However, the Environment Committee's position was adopted with only a very narrow majority and so the outcome in the plenary session cannot be guaranteed. Additionally, this is only the first reading - there will be a second reading in Parliament after the EU Member State governments have given their position on the proposals - so citizens must continue voicing their demands.
It is therefore of the utmost importance that you lobby those MEPs who are likely to vote against the position as it currently stands. Unfortunately, Labour and Conservative MEPs are set to take the opposite position to the Greens which would give consumers far less information that we are demanding. I therefore recommend that you contact your Labour and Conservative MEPs to express your view on GMOs, if you have not done so already - it is of the utmost importance that they hear the way that consumers really feel and are not swayed by the lobbying of the GM industry. The UK government is also taking an unacceptable position on these proposals, and I therefore suggest that you also write to your MP on this issue as well as the relevant Minister.
Greens in the European Parliament have been leading the campaign for consumers to have the right to know what is in the food that they are purchasing. Caroline Lucas and I will continue to fight against the lobbying of the EU and member state governments by the GM industry. It is totally unacceptable that they should want to force GM products onto our markets without proper labelling, whilst at the same time campaigning against accepting liability. You can be assured of our support for your views in plenary next week.
Yours sincerely,
Jean Lambert MEP
London Region, Green Party