Answer given by Mr Andriukaitis on behalf of the European Commission

21.3.2019

1. The Commission is not aware of food modified with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas technology being imported from Canada to the EU.

2. Products placed on the market in the EU, whether imported or produced in the EU, have to fulfil the requirements of the EU legislation. The burden of proof is on economic operators, including verification that unauthorised genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not placed on the market and that traceability and labelling rules for authorised GMOs (as set by the EU legislation) are fulfilled.

Member States are responsible for the enforcement of the GMO legislation. The Commission is aware of the analytical challenges faced by Member States in testing products developed by new mutagenesis techniques, including the technology the Honourable Member is referring to.

To support Member States, the Commission has requested the European Union Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed and the European Network of GMO laboratories to elaborate a report on the current and future possibilities and limitations regarding the detection of food or feed obtained by new mutagenesis techniques. The report should be finalised by mid-2019.