WRITTEN QUESTION E-3593/98

by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 December 1998)

Subject: Affixing of a quality mark in order to identify organic agricultural products from the United States

Every now and then, we read in the press that the United States is thinking of revising the criteria applied to organic agricultural products, in particular with a view to authorising the use of genetically modified organisms in organic farming.

1. Can the Commission confirm these reports?

2. Does the Commission feel that, if this development does indeed take place in the US, organic products imported from the US might eventually share shelf space in shops in Europe with organic products from the European Union, without the consumer's attention being drawn to the difference between the products (with or without GMOs)?

3. Can the Commission indicate why no list of organic agricultural products has been drawn up for incorporation in the Codex Alimentarius?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 February 1999)

1. The Commission has submitted, under the arrangements provided under the World trade organization (WTO) agreement on technical barriers to trade, comments on the United States'proposed regulation for organic farming. Special concerns have been raised on the envisaged authorisation of genetically modified organisms in the draft United States standards. The original United States proposed rule on organic standards was withdrawn in May 1998 after a large number of comments, including objections to the inclusion of genetically modified crops. The Commission understands that in the revised version to be published shortly this element has been dropped.

2. The Community has well developed rules for the production and labelling of organic products. Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs(1) provides in Article 11 for a regime of equivalency for products imported from third countries. This regime is managed either by the Commission (Article 11.1) or, as is currently the case for products from the United States, by the Member States (Article 11.6). The Community requirements provide that before organic products are imported into the Community from a third country, it has been adequately demonstrated that the products were produced in accordance with production standards and inspection arrangements equivalent to those applied to Community production. The Council is currently discussing the introduction of an overall prohibition of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic farming in the Community. It is clear that, once a decision on this issue is adopted by the Council, the possible use of GMOs in organic farming in a third country will have to be considered in the framework of this equivalency regime.

3. The draft for a Codex guideline currently under discussion provides for a prohibition on the use of GMOs in organic farming, and permits countries to establish equivalence regimes with regard to imports of organic products. It is expected that the Codex guidelines for organic products (from crop origin) will be adopted in April 1999.

(1) OJ L 198, 22.7.1991.