Free trade agreement circumvents German gene politics

Hamburg - union and SPD promised to enter European Union-far for the fact that animal food must be marked, if the animals with towards-changed plants were fed. But the planned free trade contracts with the USA and Canada could destroy this project, warn the scientific service of the German Bundestag in a confidential appraisal.

Concretely the new consumer references could collide with the future “international-law obligation of the European Union and its member states in the context of the TTIP agreement and/or the CETA”, are called it in the analysis, which saw Spiegel online. More badly still: A new gene label could fall the European Union already, while the TTIP negotiations with Washington still run, into substantial legal difficulties.

More than four fifth of the German consumers does not want genetic engineering in food. So far many manufacturers begin nevertheless in Europe gene fodder. Among other things of McDonald's permits to its cockerel meat suppliers the employment of such animal feeds. The fast food chain and other providers do not mark its products accordingly - because they do not have it according to valid European Union-regulations yet. Concretely the new consumer references could collide with the future “international-law obligation of the European Union and its member states in the context of the TTIP agreement and/or the CETA”, are called it in the analysis, which saw Spiegel online. More badly still: A new gene label could fall the European Union already, while the TTIP negotiations with Washington still run, into substantial legal difficulties.

For the north Americans it concerns a billion business: However in the USA roughly two thirds of the world-wide GVO cultivated areas lie. According to the U.S. economy magazine “Forbes” are in the United States more than 90 percent of entire corn, soy, cotton and sugar beet harvest genetically modified. The US-Gentech-giant Monsanto has well 80 percent market share with the typical animal feeds corn and soy. According to a study of the environmental protection organization WWF four fifth of all German soy imported goods exists out genetically changed beans. So far products must be proven separately by animals, which are fed with them.

This confirms also Christian Tietje, professor for commercial law at the University of hall Wittenberg. “An international agreement with the Americans would lead to the fact that a European Union-law, which contradicts the agreement would offend against international law”, says it. A spokesman of the Federal Department of Agriculture said on request of Spiegel online: “We hold to our request and the goal agreed upon in the coalition agreement.” The Ministry refused comments on the statements of the appraisal.

But even that would be a problem. Also during the current discussions about the TTIP agreement with the USA a stricter gene marking could fall the European Commission into emergencies, warns the scientific service of the Bundestag. The initiative for a sharper law must finally proceed formally from Jean-Claude Junckers's authority. The commission got however at the same time imposed by the advice of the member states to lead the TTIP negotiations with Washington - “whereby this obligation to act writes in principle an acting referred to the contract conclusion implied”, the scientific service.

Nevertheless: The appraisal shows also a way out of the dilemma. Before introduction of the new gene label only “the proof must be offered that the necessary scientifically founded doubts for possible environmental and health risks are present, which could proceed from such products”, write the experts.