The Government today launched two sets of guidance covering new regulations on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on tighter labelling of GM products and on monitoring for environmental effects.

The Government's Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment has published its guidance on monitoring GM crops if they are approved. Monitoring for any unanticipated adverse effects is a new compulsory condition of any approval and will be overseen by EU member states. This will contribute to more thorough monitoring and the responsible management of any uncertainty about unexpected environmental effects.

Chair of the Committee, Professor Chris Pollock, said: "Our guidance sets high standards and introduces the structured approach that we expect. Nonetheless, each plan needs to be case-specific, addressing the characteristics of the GM crop variety itself, its management and its use."

In addition, Defra and FSA jointly launched draft guidance on the UK implementation of new mandatory EU requirements on traceability and labelling of GMOs and Genetically Modified (GM) food and animal feed. The new legislation aims to increase public confidence by extending labelling requirements, lowering thresholds and heightening requirements on the retention of records throughout the supply chain. The new mandatory rules (see notes for editors) will be enforced by local authority trading standards officers. The draft guidance forms part of a wider public consultation on the new legislation, which will run from 30 March 2004 for a period of 12 weeks.

BACKGROUND

1. The recently implemented EC Directive 2001/18 provides a European Community-wide regime governing the commercial import and cultivation of GM crops. In the UK, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) reviews all relevant applications and advises Ministers on the potential risks to human health and the environment arising from the releases. The Directive included a new requirement for post-market monitoring for any environmental harm for all GM crops if approval is given. ACRE's guidance addresses the main elements and general principles that should be adhered to when monitoring GM crops during marketing and which should be contained within the post-market monitoring plan. The guidance is available at
- www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre/postmarket/

2. The new traceability and labelling rules extend further the ability of consumers to make an informed choice about what they eat.
The Regulations lower from1% to 0.9% the threshold above which the adventitious presence of material from an EU authorised GMO in a non-GM product triggers traceability and labelling of the product. Products intentionally containing GM ingredients must always be labelled, whatever the level of content. In addition, the new Regulations extend the range of products requiring traceability, labelling and other controls by including products with ingredients derived from a GM source that is not identifiable by analysis ("derived products") as well as products consisting of or containing GMOs. The Regulations also require operators to keep records for 5 years to allow products to be traced back through the supply chain, if necessary.

The joint FSA/Defra consultation and draft guidance can be accessed at: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/gmlabel/.

The consultation and draft guidance on traceability and labelling of GMOs and GM Food and Feed covers the UK implementation of two new EU Regulations: (EC) 1830/2003 on the Traceability and Labelling of GMOs
(http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/l_268/l_26820031018en00240028.pdf) and Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 on Genetically Modified (GM) Food and Feed
(http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/l_268/l_26820031018en00010023.pdf)