The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today commended the World Trade Organization (WTO) for its decision regarding the European Union’s onerous approval process for biotech crops.

In 2003, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) filed a WTO case arguing that the European Union’s nearly absolute moratorium on biotech crop approvals is an illegal barrier to trade. According to the WTO’s sanitary and phytosanitary agreements, member countries must have “sufficient scientific evidence” to justify refusals to approve or import new products. Numerous reviews by scientific bodies, including the European Commission and the French Academy of Sciences, have found that biotech crops on the market today are as safe as, if not safer than, their conventionally-bred counterparts.

Responding to the WTO’s ruling in favor of the USTR’s case, GMA Senior Director of International Trade Sarah Thorn said, “The WTO’s decision makes it clear that biotech regulations must be based on sound science and that the EU’s approach to biotech crop approvals is unwarranted.”

GMA also highlighted its opposition to the EU’s traceability and labeling scheme for biotech ingredients.

“WTO standards require that all members base their regulations on science, and we believe that the EU’s traceability and labeling requirements are equally flawed. The EU has ignored this mandate by implementing a biotech labeling scheme that is based instead on politics. While the WTO’s most recent ruling eases one barrier to trade, the EU traceability and labeling requirements will continue to limit trade opportunities without justification,” Thorn concluded.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) represents the world’s leading branded food, beverage and consumer products companies. Since 1908, GMA has been an advocate for its members on public policy issues and has championed initiatives to increase industrywide productivity and growth. GMA member companies employ more than 2.5 million workers in all 50 states and account for more than $680 billion in sales. The association is led by a board of member company chief executives.