Greens have said that the Commission's approval of 10 new genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for import go against 'public wishes.'
The Commission has renewed the authorisations of a further 7 GMOs, and given approval to 2 genetically modified flowers, bringing the total to 19 authorisations this month.
Many of the authorisations apply to protein imports which will be used for animal feed.
Greens argue this represents a missed opportunity for farmers in the South West and across Europe who will continue to rely on imports. They agrue that home-grown leguminous crops would provide GMO-free alternatives and boost soil quality by fixing nitrogen levels.
Molly Scott Cato MEP, who sits on the Agricultural Committee in the European Parliament, said: “Giving the go-ahead to these GMOs is an affront to democracy as a majority of EU member states were not in favour of them.
"We also know that EU citizens continue to say no to GMO. Giving the green light to these GMOs - many of which will end up as animal feed - means we have no way of knowing whether the animals we eat have been fed GMO feed or not; there is no labelling for this. This leaves consumers with only the organic option to truly guarantee GMO free meat.”
The recent approvals for more GMOs follows a Commission proposal of a further 'opt-out', which would allow Member States to impose their own national bans on GMO imports. This comes after a similar opt-out for GMO cultivation was agreed in January. Greens argue that such opt-outs are difficult to enforce alongside single market rules. They also point to the unresolved issue of GMO authorisations at EU level, a process the Commission itself has recognized is flawed and undemocratic.