On Wednesday, the European Parliament lifted a three-year moratorium on GM foods by approving legislation regulating their introduction. It mandates an arduous approval process for GM crops to ensure their safety. And it mandates labeling requirements. So far so good. Even onerous regulation is better than the extralegal blanket prohibition that obtained before.
Biotech companies can now operate in a more predictable regulatory environment.
Consumers get expanded choice. And if they really don't want to eat GM foods, labelling allows them to choose something else. But this is not how it's likely to play out. By treaty, EU member states must accommodate this directive in their national laws within 18 months. The politically influential organic-farming lobby is also opposed, and they have just gained a champion in the figure of Renate Kuenast, Germany's Green Party agriculture minister.