After the EU vote to relax genetic engineering, the federal government is divided. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) criticized the decision: “The vast majority of people want to be able to decide for themselves whether they eat with or without genetic engineering,” he said. He criticized the decision as a “serious mistake.”
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) also said that abolishing labeling requirements for genetically modified plants was the wrong approach. Foods containing genetically modified material should continue to have to be labeled as such.
The EU member states had previously voted by a narrow majority that products made from certain genetically modified plants would no longer have to bear labels in supermarkets in the future. Germany abstained from the vote. The European Parliament still has to approve the law.
Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) and Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU), however, praised the decision as a “milestone for new breeding methods in agriculture”.
This article will continue to be updated.
