Biotech Act: Europe must focus on real needs, not biotech hype

In a letter sent today to Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné ahead of the forthcoming Biotech Act II, and to the Members of the EP committee on Public Health after the publication of the Draft Report on the Biotech Act I, Eat Europe and Farm Europe welcomed the European Commission’s ambition to strengthen Europe’s biotechnology sector while urging policymakers to focus support on those applications that can deliver tangible benefits for society, the environment, and the European economy.

The two organisations express strong support for the ambition of Biotech Act II to develop in particular of bio-based value chains that can contribute to Europe’s strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness, circular economy objectives, and the reduction of dependence on fossil resources.

The letter highlights the need for a stronger and more coherent EU strategy for bio-based industries, noting that while some Member States actively promote bio-based solutions, regulatory frameworks and market incentives remain fragmented and often place such innovations at a disadvantage compared with established alternatives.

Regarding novel food and food produced through advanced biotechnological processes, including precision fermentation and cell-based production, both in the framework of the current negotiations on the Biotech Act I and the future proposal on Biotech Act II, the organisations call for a cautious and science-based approach.

“The debate on biotechnology is increasingly driven by promises rather than demonstrated results. Europe should focus on addressing real and immediate needs, rather than being guided by biotech hype. Industrial biotechnology can already contribute to reducing our dependence on fossil-based resources and support the transition to a more sustainable economy. By contrast, many of the claims associated with novel food technologies lack robust scientific validation and do not warrant public funding or preferential regulatory treatment. Biotechnological applications in the novel food sector should therefore be subject to particularly stringent assessment standards, comparable to those applied in the pharmaceutical sector,” said Luigi Scordamaglia, President of Eat Europe.

While unfortunately and inappropriately some attempt to add “novel food and innovative food” is ongoing in the European Parliament’s discussions on Biotech Act I, Eat Europe and Farm Europe stress that existing evidence regarding the long-term health impacts and environmental performance of precision fermentation and cultivated-food technologies remains incomplete and raise serious questions. Current sustainability assessments often rely on assumptions concerning future industrial scalability, energy consumption, impact on environment and production systems that have yet to be fully demonstrated. 

For this reason, the organisations argue that public support schemes or dedicated State aid measures for such food technologies would be premature in the absence of robust, independent and transparent scientific evidence confirming their claimed benefits.

The letter also underlines the strategic importance of European agriculture in ensuring food security and resilience.

Eat Europe and Farm Europe therefore call on the European Commission to ensure that the Biotech Act II is built around clear principles of sustainability, safety, scientific evidence, and technological responsibility, while preserving Europe’s high standards for the protection of human health, the environment and consumers.

“Food security cannot be reduced to the industrial capacity to manufacture ingredients in technological facilities. Europe’s food sovereignty has been built on a productive agricultural sector rooted in rural communities across the continent. Farmers must remain at the centre of Europe’s food system. 

Europe can and should become a global leader in biotechnology. But leadership is not about chasing every technological trend. It means directing innovation where it delivers clear public value, measurable environmental benefits and greater strategic autonomy,” concluded Yves Madre, President of Farm Europe.