NGTs : Farm Europe and Eat Europe welcome Council approval at first reading and urge the EP to close the file without delay
Farm Europe and Eat Europe warmly welcome the adoption by the Council, today, of its position at first reading on the New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), paving the way for its final adoption by the Parliament.
“NGTs are very much needed and farmers are ready to exploit their full potential, we cannot afford further delays or setbacks with incalculable consequences in terms of both environmental and economic sustainability and the competitiveness of European farmers in the global market” commented Farm Europe.
The adoption by the Council of its formal position sends an important signal to European farmers and consumers. It now places a clear responsibility on the European Parliament to move forward swiftly. Without securing a rapid adoption, farmers will remain deprived of the necessary tools to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness and sustainability of the agricultural sector.
Farm Europe and Eat Europe believe that the compromise reached during trilogue negotiations represents a crucial step towards providing European agriculture with a clear, balanced and competitive regulatory framework. Its timely adoption is essential to finally enable the concrete deployment of innovations that have become indispensable to address the challenges posed by climate change, increasing pressure from pests and diseases, water resilience, and the progressive reduction in available crop protection products.
This agreement offers a much-needed opportunity for both farmers and consumers. It will support the path towards sustainable intensification, enabling European agriculture to produce more and better, while laying the foundations for a resilient and increasingly carbon-neutral economy in which agriculture is part of the solution. However, these benefits will only materialise if the European Parliament adopts its position at second reading without delay.
While the deal is necessarily a compromise, it nevertheless represents a light at the end of the tunnel after years in which European farmers have been constrained by political choices that too often placed ideology ahead of science, leaving consumers uncertain about the real nature of their food options. For this reason, Farm Europe and Eat Europe call on the European Parliament to assume its responsibility and ensure the swift adoption of the text, so that farmers can finally access the tools they urgently need.