The European Court of Justice will take today a far-reaching decision on "new genetic engineering", which will affect the labeling of food. Consumer advocates fear that genetically modified foods will end up in unmarked supermarkets.
The ECJ will take today a far-reaching decision on "New Genetic Engineering". In particular, it is judged whether certain selection methods such as so-called mutagenesis procedures fall within the scope of EU law on genetic engineering. If this is not the case, food produced in this way would be in the supermarket without being subject to special control and labeling.
The decision was rendered by a French court. What does it mean for the ECJ to apply European rules on genetic engineering to certain new procedures? The ECJ should clarify what are legally "genetically modified organisms" (GMOs) legally and not. The question is disputed by the experts: for "Gene Editing" – as in the process of mutagenesis in question – no foreign DNA is added, but the genetic material has mutated. The European Court of the Communities (ECJ) today announced the legal badessment of the new genetic engineering procedures on Wednesday at 11:00. The question is whether, for example, plants produced using the new methods fall under the rules governing "genetically modified organisms" (GMOs) – or are exempted from them (Case C-528/16) .
Among other things, GMOs are subject to strict labeling obligations under EU law. Consumer advocates fear that genetically modified foods could enter supermarkets without being identified. The existing rules are 18 years old
No labeling requirement
Benefits for growers: using the Crispr / Cs9 Genscher, Crispr, among others, the genetic material of plants and other organisms can be more accurate, faster and more accurate to be changed cheaper than by conventional breeding variants. Promoters are waiting for more resistant plants. Critics, however, speak of "new genetic engineering" on the shelves. For example, Greenpeace warned that there would be no more comprehensive and individual risk badessment for these plants. "Without this risk badessment, we would not know the potential negative impacts on the environment and health and there would be no requirement for labeling," said Dr. NGO
the general advocate of the ECJ Michal Bobek . Exceptions to GMO rules should apply to all mutagenesis procedures, including the most recent ones. However, he also believes that Member States should be able to establish their own, more stringent rules for these procedures. The recommendations of the Advocate General do not bind the judges, but in most cases they follow them
Strict rules in Austria
According to experts, this decision would not necessarily be ideal for the judge. Austria. Although Austria would probably prohibit the production of such organisms with its very strict traditional manipulation of genetic engineering, it would not be possible to prevent the corresponding products from entering the national market from Other countries of the EU. This means that Austrian food producers would have a competitive disadvantage, without the undeclared products being kept out of the supermarkets.
But there is also another option: it could be decided that the EU countries jointly examine each individual procedure. and decide which ones fall under the EU's genetic engineering legislation and which are not. For each country, the same rules would apply. On the other hand, it is highly unlikely that the new procedures will generally be published.
![Trade and manufacturers demand clear regulation of new genetic engineering by the EU [19659008] Genetic engineering or not? The ECJ takes a directional decision <span clbad=](https://media.kleinezeitung.at/images/uploads_520/5/8/6/5469574/32E515A9-A221-4EEC-AE50-5476509692F5_v0_h.jpg "Gentechnik oder nicht? Der EuGH trifft eine Richtungsentscheidung / Bild: ARGE Gentechnik-frei")
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