Farm Europe and Eat Europe have addressed a letter to the European Commission raising concerns regarding the import of genetically modified (GM) cane sugar from Brazil and the implications for compliance with EU legislation, traceability standards, and market transparency after the recent provisional entry into force of the EU–Mercosur Agreement.
Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter of sugar, authorises and cultivates genetically modified sugar cane varieties alongside conventional ones. However, according to available information, no effective segregation between GM and non-GM sugar cane is carried out during processing, raising concerns that raw sugar exported to the European Union may derive from mixed production streams.
Over the past five years, EU Member States have imported approximately 3.6 million tonnes of sugar from Brazil, including more than 750,000 tonnes in the last year alone. These volumes are expected to rise further under the EU–Mercosur Agreement, which introduces a new annual duty-free quota of 180,000 tonnes of sugar.
Under EU legislation, food and feed consisting of, containing, or produced from genetically modified organisms must be authorised before being placed on the EU market. While certain genetically modified sugar beet varieties are authorised in the Union for import and processing, no genetically modified sugar cane varieties appear to be currently authorised under the EU GMO framework for food and feed uses.
In their letter, Eat Europe and Farm Europe warn that the inability to reliably distinguish between GM and non-GM sugar imports raises significant concerns regarding regulatory compliance, traceability, consumer transparency, food safety, and environmental protection.
The organisations are calling on the European Commission to clarify which measures are currently in place — or are envisaged — to ensure that sugar imported into the EU complies with existing GMO legislation and that adequate traceability and control are guaranteed throughout the supply chain. Eat Europe and Farm Europe emphasise that, in the context of bilateral relations with Brazil and the implementation phase of the EU–Mercosur Agreement, efforts should be made to ensure effective segregation between GM and non-GM sugar production streams in order to prevent non-compliant products from entering the European market.
The letter also requests further information on the implementation of the monitoring mechanisms established under Regulation (EU) 2026/687 concerning safeguard clauses within the EU–Mercosur framework. In particular, Eat Europe and Farm Europe seek clarification regarding the tools and data sources the Commission intends to rely on to monitor import volumes, price developments, and market dynamics for sensitive agricultural sectors such as sugar, meat products, and rice.
The organisations underline that effective and timely monitoring of trade flows is essential not only for the possible activation of safeguard measures, but also for ensuring compliance with EU regulatory requirements related to genetically modified organisms and traceability.
Eat Europe and Farm Europe also stress the importance of transparency for market operators and stakeholders, calling for accessible monitoring instruments such as dedicated dashboards or reporting mechanisms allowing up-to-date tracking of relevant market developments.