Brussels, 28 April 2025
The undersigned agri food value chain partners are calling on EU policymakers to support the European Commission and Council proposal on plants produced through certain New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) and to reject any additional mandatory traceability and labelling requirements for conventional like Category 1 NGT plants and products.
The organisations also encourage greater public understanding of NGTs, including both their potential benefits and risks, in order to support informed discussion and responsible innovation across the European food system.
In its Vision for Agriculture and Food, the European Commission recognised that NGTs can contribute to food security and that an enabling regulatory framework is necessary to maintain a level playing field with third countries. The signatories support this objective and welcome efforts to establish a science based and proportionate legal framework for plants produced through certain NGTs.
The organisations express strong concern regarding proposals for mandatory traceability and labelling of conventional like Category 1 NGT plants and products. According to the signatories, such requirements would negatively affect innovation, adoption, trade, and the competitiveness of the European agri food sector.
Category 1 NGT plants are, by definition, comparable to plants that could result from conventional breeding and may be indistinguishable from conventional or naturally occurring variants using current analytical methods. This creates significant technical and enforcement challenges, particularly for imported food and feed products where reliable verification methods do not exist.
Mandatory traceability and labelling would also require physical segregation throughout the supply chain, increasing storage, transport, processing, and administrative costs. Given the bulk nature of agricultural commodity markets, the organisations argue that such segregation would be impractical for many commodities and would reduce competitiveness.
The signatories further argue that labelling products differently despite their equivalence could mislead consumers by implying differences in safety or quality where none exist. They note that Category 1 NGT plants have been assessed as safe and equivalent to conventionally bred plants.
According to the organisations, transparency can already be achieved through the database proposed by the European Commission, which would provide information on Category 1 NGT status while allowing breeders, farmers, researchers, and supply chain operators to make informed decisions.
Globally, more than 25 countries have introduced policies covering NGT plants, and none currently require traceability or labelling for conventional like NGT products. The signatories warn that introducing EU specific requirements could place European operators and international suppliers at a competitive disadvantage and redirect trade towards markets with more practical regulatory frameworks.
| Name | Role and Organisation |
|---|---|
| Peter Meedendorp | European Council of Young Farmers |
| Marco Pellegrini | The European Chemical Industry Council |
| Marie-Christine Ribera | European Association of Sugar Manufacturers |
| Elisabeth Lacoste | International Confederation of European Beet Growers |
| Iliana Axiotiades | European Association of Cereals, Rice, Feedstuffs, Oil Seeds, Olive Oil, Oils and Fats and Agrosupply Trade |
| Vincent Saingier | Confederation of European Yeast Producers |
| Elli Tsiforou | Copa and Cogeca |
| Olivier de Matos | CropLife Europe |
| Catherine Entzminger | European Cocoa Association |
| Francesco Vacondio | European Flour Milling Association |
| Nuria Moreno | European Vegetable Protein Association |
| Nathalie Lecocq | FEDIOL |
| Emiel Van Dijk | Primary Food Processors |
| Nelli Hajdu | Starch Europe |
