Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved the final version of the reform of the General Food Law (GFL) on 17 April 2019 with 603 votes in favour, 17 against and 27 abstentions. The reform will take effect in 2021, and will mean that the public and independent scientists will have access to safety studies provided by industry. Together, we collected 182974 signatures and sent thousands of tweets and 19771 emails to MEPs, to ensure the reform was in the interest of people and not industry. Please take a look at other campaigns that could be of interest to you here: www.wemove.eu

182,974 of 250,000 signatures

To the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament

Petition

We urge you to enable real transparency in EU food safety decisions by publishing the data received from industry to evaluate the toxicity of their products in full, as soon as the EU receives it, before the products are put on the EU market. This much-needed transparency will finally allow for independent scientific scrutiny of crucial public decisions, putting an end to a secrecy that has allowed dangerous products to stay on the market and has fuelled public mistrust in food safety decisions.

Why is this important?

The European Parliament, Commission, and Council are meeting to negotiate the final proposal that could result in the toxic weedkiller glyphosate becoming banned in the EU, by making previously-secret industry studies available to the public. [1]

During our struggle to ban glyphosate last year, scientific studies were key. The pesticide industry said it had studies demonstrating that glyphosate was "safe” - but kept them secret from citizens and independent scientists alike. The EU allowed the use of glyphosate for another five years - on the basis of these secret industry studies. [2]

Just in December the European Parliament voted for strong legislation that would end this kind of secrecy. Industry players had been lobbying our MEPs hard to derail the proposal. Now it’s time for the EU institutions to negotiate for a final agreement: If all of us join the call, we can still tip the scale in safety’s favour.

The proposed change to the General Food Law regulation is an ambitious departure from the industry-favoured procedures that currently exist in the EU. If this legislation passes, we’ll finally have the tools to challenge the likes of Bayer/Monsanto when glyphosate and other dangerous chemicals come up for approval in the EU.

The next EU decision on glyphosate is coming up fast. If we win this legislation, we can get the EU to publish the safety tests that Monsanto – now Bayer – will submit this year in order to get the EU’s green light for glyphosate. Once we have these tests, we can hire the best independent scientists to analyse them! If we want to stop glyphosate for good, we need to see the studies that industry wants to keep secret.

Image: Maasaak, Wikimedia Commons

References:

http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/successful/details/follow-up/2017/000002/en?lg=en https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CONSIL:ST_8518_2018_INIT&from=EN
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/documents/3496/DS_Annex.pdf
https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/civil-society-questions-europes-perfect-pesticide-authorisation-system/

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182,974

of 250,000 signatures

Recent comments

Patricia

Our food has to be safe plus the bees can't sign, so I am also signing on behalf of the bees

kate

I'd like a future where we still have a choice and that the food we eat is grown properly and not through chemicals. We should encourage wellbeing and not increase the likelyhood of requiring medical attention as a result of diseases acquired through toxic chemical ingestion.

Sean

Perverse incentive capitalism must end of we are to live sustainably on this planet, and not see the end of this global civilisation, humanity, or even the whole eco system.

Amanda

Because I need to know that the food that I am eating is safe and not worry that it is going to cause me harm and put a strain on the NHS as a result of it!!!

Carol

Information is the right of the consumer - we want to know that our food is safe.

Kathryn

Glyphosate is dangerous to humans and animals.

Ian

Serious health issues and the big companies want to suppress the data, that is just plain wrong.

Peter

We all depend on wholesome food for our physical and mental well-being, particularly children with whom the future rests.

gary

they are slowly making us all sick & killing us off with all their poisons

Jenny

To safeguard our health

Julia

Glyphosate is dangerous to us all, people and animals, and should be banned for the safety of us all.

Theresa

The health of our eco-system is vital to us all. Agriculture can be done in a different way but it would mean taking away the hold of the manufacturers of all the chemicals that are used at present .

Melanie

I am severely allergic to these products and processes as is my son. I have moved back from Australia where these are used more especially GM foods, where I developed the allergy when I moved to Australia in 2005 from the UK. Only discovered when I visited the UK in 2013 and all allergies I had developed disappeared over night. I am happy to be contacted to share my experience. I have been described as the Canary in the cage by anti glysophate and GM groups in Australia.

thomas

no to pesticides

Antonia

We need transparency regarding the safety tests of pesticides - these studies should not be secret, not now, not ever.

rod

Life now and for the future. Food is a social good,not to make rich companies even richer.

Richard

I want a clean poison free environment

Jamie

Food is what we eat in order to survive, it is a basic human right to eat. We deserve to know EXACTLY what is is we're eating, how it is grown/produced, and most importantly any health risks associated with the food or any contaminants such as pesticides. Food is fuel, and it's a fuel we need to live.

angela

Greedy people cause hunger, not pests which have their own natural predators.

Diann

Health & safety is important and food industries should be conforming to standards.

Keith

I value my health (and my EU citizenship)

Susan

We cannot decide whether to use chemicals if we do not have results of testing

Maureen

It is important to everyone in Europe

Tabitha

Humans are so disconnected from Nature now that we think it's a good idea for one or two people and their machines to grow one type of plant over a large area and nothing else. And so of course the only way to 'manage' this madness is to use chemicals. Madness. Glysophate and GMO's only came to exist and be accepted by decision-makers in the first place because we farm with insanity and with the primary (and perhaps only) goal of making profits. Break up the farms to be smaller and authentically biodiverse and there will be no need for machinery, fossil fuels or chemicals of any kind. The soils will be healthy and so will our food, and we won't even need to eat as much of it as it will be nutritionally more replete. It's a no-brainer for any decision-maker who is aware that it is a fact that the planet is more important than the economy.

Teresa

We need to ban Glyphosate -this pesticide is toxic - a danger to our health and that of the environment. People's health much more inportant than profit. Stop now !

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Our WeMove community has been campaigning for years to increase transparency in our food system. These EU negotiations are one more step to changing the status quo on how potentially-dangerous chemicals are approved in the EU. Together, we are all part of that change.

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EU: Protect food safety, not industry secrets!

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EU: Protect food safety, not industry secrets!