| http://euobserver.com/index.phtml?selected_topic=9&action=view&article_id=3251
US maintains pressure on EU over new GM laws In the latest bout of trade disputes between the United States and the European Union, the Bush administration officials are putting pressure on the EU to abandon new restrictions on genetically modified (GM) foods, which were proposed by the European Commission last month. Senior US officials have repeatedly said that Brussels anti-GMO policy is discriminating against American products and is in violation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) requirements. They argue that the new rules are likely to cost US companies $4bn and could disrupt efforts to start a new round of global trade talks later this year. The new EU laws, which must be approved by both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers before they can take effect, require that all products containing genetically modified organisms are properly labelled as such. At the moment, retailers in the EU must label a food consisting of or containing GMOs, but currently some food ingredients are exempted from the provisions (for example, refined soya or maize oil). The Commission has also proposed tightening up the laws for tracing products from production through to distribution, putting obligations on business operators to transmit and retain information at each stage of the production process. Washington is worried that the new rules will be unwieldy and will result in a mountain of paperwork. At the moment, the US does not generally separate modified and conventional crops, and many US businesses will have to instigate far-reaching changes on the way they manufacture food if they are to conform to the new legislation. America is also concerned that the EU's proposals could prompt developing countries to introduce similar controls and significantly limit the reach of the technology. Undersecretary of State Alan Larson, the State Department's senior diplomat assigned to economic issues, described the new EU restrictions as "a very serious problem." Mr Larson is planning on lobbying EU governments to amend the regulations before they take effect. He stressed the importance of resolving the issue quickly so that it does not affect the start of the new global trade talks planned for later this year. The attitude towards GM crops is very different on either side of the Atlantic. In the US, no labelling of GM foods is mandated and the stuff is everywhere. According to Jeffrey Barach, a vice-president of the National Food Processor's Association in Washington, two thirds of all food processed in US contain GMO's. In fact, the combined countries of America, Canada and Argentina account for 99 per cent of the world's GM crop plantings. By contrast, the feeling towards GM crops in Europe is one of apprehension, even though there is no conclusive proof that their existence is harmful to the environment or to health. Just 0.3 per cent of the world's GM crops come from the EU. EU Commissioners Margot Wallstr�m, responsible for the environment, and David Byrne, responsible for health and consumer protection, have welcomed the new Commission proposals. "Citizens should have the right to choose whether what they serve for dinner GMOs or not," said Ms Wallstr�m. However, Pascal Lamy, commissioner for trade, added his voice to the dispute by arguing against labelling. The White House has made it clear that it will maintain pressure on the European Union to relax legislation on GM imports, and has not ruled out the possibility of a legal case before the WTO, which could result in a potentially embarrassing and costly judgement for the EU. Meanwhile, in France, anti-GM protestors have destroyed two fields of GM crops, highlighting the adversity to the technology in Europe. The protests were lead by radical farmers' leader Jose Bove, who came to fame after he attacked a McDonald's restaurant in his home town of Millau in protest at US trade restrictions. |
