The Slow Food movement has expressed concern at the European Union Council of Agriculture’s decision to pass a 0.9 per cent GMO tolerance threshold in Community organic agriculture relations.
“This decision, voted by ministers, appears unjustifiable and unacceptable,” explained Carlo Petrini, president of non-profit eco-gastronomic organisation Slow Food. “It highlights how European political leaders fail to listen to the voice of civil society. We are bewildered and angry to learn that the cases of consumers, quality producers and all those working for a new sustainable model for the food system - especially in the agricultural sector - have been trampled upon for the umpteenth time.
“This is all the more serious, in view of the fact that, on March 29, the European Parliament passed a directive setting the threshold at 0.1 per cent - virtually zero ---- by a broad majority.”
Petrini continued: “Not only has the Council of Ministers failed to listen to the wishes of European citizens who want to be certain that when they buy organic, they do not buy GMOs as well, but it has also played deaf to the indications of these citizens’ representatives in parliament.
“Now that the need to think about the future of our planet in a different way is evident, it’s up to Europe to play a leading role in a purposeful, creative way. We have the human capital to achieve this wonderful revolution - this is the ideal to which European citizens aspire. Choices like this one made by the European council go in exactly the opposite direction.”
