Dear Joe,
From the press release:
"It's a standard threshold in the regulation," she told a news
conference, referring to the 0.9 percent label level that is
already enshrined in current EU law on biotech food and feed.
Joe wrote:
EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel seems to have
originated from a planet separate from earth. She believes that
organic farmers will have to pay for avoiding GM pollution.
The problem with your position is that the broader society does not
regard the presence of GM as "pollution". The situation is analogous
to someone producing high-value seed crops, crops which often get
contaminated and ruined by pollen from other fields.
Because the contaminating agent is not regarded as generally harmful,
but only deleterious for the special purpose of the seed grower, it it
the responsibility of the seed grower to arrange for isolation.
In the case of contamination of organic crops by non-organic pollen
(i.e. GM), since the larger society does not regard this non-organic
pollen as generally harmful, it is the responsibility of the grower of
the organic crop to arrange for isolation in order to maintain the
value of his special-purpose crop.
The fact that real economic injury occurs in these cases doesen't
change the liability. Suppose for example, I am making integrated
circuits, a special kind of manufacturing which requires unusually
clean conditions. If my air-handling system is not adequate to remove
dust produced by the construction site down the street, I can't
successfully sue the construction company. Why? because the
"pollution" they are making is not considered *by society* to be
generally harmful. Am I injured by the dust? You bet, but it is
nevertheless my problem.
From the press release:
"We live in the real world. The lower we go (on a threshold),
the more expensive it will be for organic producers. We have
to find the right balance," she said.
This is a wise strategic adjustment given the legal realities. And
biologically speaking, the previous limit was not zero. I believe it
was 0.1%. It seems to me that the difference between 0.1 and 0.9 is
not all that large. But 0.9 is much easier to achieve in practice.
Dale
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