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Just like medicines, pesticides are subject to regulations.Farmers must comply with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), following the basic principle of using pesticides as little as possible and only when necessary.

The use of pesticides is authorised only after an independent expert risk assessment has checked that any residues remaining after correct use of the product will not lead to any consumer concern nor harm the environment.

The potential residues on a harvested crop are regulated by a Maximum Residue Level (MRL) which is set based on data and As Low As Reasonably Achievable; the ALARA principle.

Genetically modified (GM) food and feed products can only be authorised in the EU if they have undergone a rigorous risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which evaluates their impact on human and animal health, and environmental safety.

GM food and feed products can only be authorised in the EU if they have undergone a rigorous safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Genetically modified (GM) crops have been increasingly cultivated and consumed worldwide since the mid-1990’s. Between 1996 and 2019, the area of biotech crops increased 112-fold, making it the fastest adopted agricultural technology worldwide.An estimated 17 million farmers and their families benefit from GM technology today.

The import of genetically modified (GM) crops by the European Union contributes to environmental,
social and economic sustainability goals in the EU and in producing countries.

• Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and impacts on the PPP regulatory framework
• Guidance document on Operator exposure
• Guidance document on predicting environmental concentrations in soil
• Co-formulants/Annex III
• Allocation of Rapporteur Member States to facilitate pre submission meetings
• CropLife Europe conference

1.We support the EU ambition to act on global environmental issues in the framework of
international fora such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and
animal welfare via the sister organization to Codex with competence for animal health, the OIE1.

2. We call on the European Union to follow sound scientific evidence in setting Codex Alimentarius standards.

3. The integration of non – consumer safety and non – food trade related factors in Codex risk management could create unjustified barriers to trade or even block the important work of Codex.

• The sustainability of food products should be analysed based on their overall contribution to the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability. To avoid undermining the EU’s sustainability goals, any assessment should be evidence-based and equally applying to all production models without distinction.
• Food safety and food sustainability are conceptually different things. Their assessment should remain separate, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion and further increasing the burden and unpredictability of the EU decision-making process for stakeholders and authorities.
• We encourage the EC to prioritise multilateral agreements to address global sustainability issues. Unilaterally imposed sustainability requirements for imported goods may be unfair and discriminatory, and create unnecessary trade frictions with partners.

• The import and cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the European Union (EU) contributes to Europe’s goals for a sustainable food system and is a key driver of safe and affordable food.

• The EU imports approximately 70% of all protein-rich crops used in the feed sector, the majority of which are GM. GM technology allows the efficient use of agricultural land ensuring optimal yields and therefore securing EU livestock farmers a competitive and reliable feed supply to sustain their production.

• Cultivation of GM crops supports the expansion of conservation agriculture. Through optimization of insecticide use and Integrated Pest Management, GM crops can help promote carbon sequestration, soil health and GHG emissions reductions. In low- and middle-income producing countries, the adoption of GM crops has improved farmers’ livelihoods for the past quarter century.

Impact Assessment Study on EC 2030 Green Deal Targets for Sustainable Food Production commissioned by CropLife Europe and other agri associations produced by Wageningen University and Research