UFU Watch
An open letter has been written by a number of EU farming organisations, including the UFU, calling for changes to be made to EU rules to make it easier for GM crops to be developed and grown in Europe. The organisations representing farmers in the four countries of the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Romania have written to the European Commission expressing ‘deep concern’ about the effects of EU GM policies and regulations on ‘the potential of modern biotechnology to strengthen the sustainable production of food. The letter calls on EU institutions and member states to take a ‘broader, more holistic, and longer term view on agricultural production of food, feed and biomass, and to adjust the GMO policies and regulations accordingly’. This includes ensuring ‘sound scientific evidence’ is used for decision making, making decisions in ‘a timely manner’ and ensuring all member states adhere to the rules.
The EU farming organisations insist that GM crops have been an established part of the global supply chain for food, feed and fibre for over 15 years, and have delivered clear benefits to farmers, environment, economy and wider society. They claim denying EU, farmers access to GM crop varieties available elsewhere in the world is resulting in a ‘significant loss of income for farmers and significant missed opportunities to, for example, reduce the use of pesticides’.
