Meng Landwirtschaft calls on Luxembourg’s MEPs to halt the deregulation and patenting of plants produced using new genetic engineering techniques

Luxembourg, 16 June 2026 – Ahead of the vote in the European Parliament’s plenary session tomorrow, Wednesday 17 June, the organisations united within the Meng Agriculture platform are calling on Luxembourg’s MEPs to reject the proposal to authorise plants developed using so-called “new genomic techniques” (NGT).

Since 2023, the EU has been negotiating a draft regulation on plants produced using so-called “new genomic techniques” (NGTs). The aim is to exempt a large proportion of these plants from existing EU requirements for genetically modified organisms. The Meng Agriculture platform is highly critical of the proposal: mandatory consumer labelling of food, the traceability of NGTs in the environment, their risk assessment and the provision of suitable verification procedures are all set to be abolished. [1] At the same time, the patenting of NGTs is to remain unrestricted.

Representatives from the Meng Landwirtschaft platform, of which Mouvement Ecologique is a member, have held discussions with several Luxembourg MEPs in recent weeks, drawing their attention to the risks of NGTs and the consequences of their patenting, which are expected to lead to increasing dependence of farmers on agribusinesses and further disadvantages for small and medium-sized seed producers. Patents on NGTs would not only hinder the development of new varieties adapted to local conditions, but also further restrict the sovereignty of food production in Europe.

In early 2024, the Luxembourg Parliament had adopted a motion calling on the government to launch an initiative to ban patents on NGT1 plants. Despite this call, Luxembourg’s Minister for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Martine Hansen, did not advocate in the European Council either for the risk assessment and labelling of NGTs or against their patenting.

Meng Landwirtschaft regrets that the Luxembourg government has agreed to the controversial compromise proposal between the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. It undermines a scientifically sound approach to the risks of genetic engineering and deprives citizens of the right to decide for themselves what they want to eat. Those who stand to profit will be agribusinesses such as Bayer-Monsanto or KWS, which will push their patented seeds onto the market – at the expense of farmers and independent breeders.

Meng Landwirtschaft is a platform of Luxembourgish non-governmental organisations dealing with issues relating to agriculture, food, the environment, nature conservation, animal welfare, consumer protection, health and development cooperation. It was founded in 2010 and is currently supported by natur&ëmwelt a.s.b.l., Vereenegung fir Biolandwirtschaft Lëtzebuerg a.s.b.l., Greenpeace Luxembourg, Action Solidarité Tiers Monde, SOS Faim Luxembourg, Mouvement écologique, etika, CELL, Slow Food Luxembourg, Cercle de Coopération, Aide à l’Enfance de l’Inde et du Népal, Lëtzebuerger Landesverband fir Beienzuucht, SEED, the ‘Pesticide-Free’ campaign, Frères des Hommes, Foodsharing Luxembourg, Netzwierk Agroökologie, Fondation Partage, Ligue CTF and Vegan Society Luxembourg.

Notes:

[1] Mandatory consumer labelling, traceability, risk assessment and the submission of appropriate verification procedures are to be abolished. At the same time, patenting is to remain possible without restriction.

Overall, new genetic engineering techniques allow for far more profound intervention in the characteristics of species and their ecosystems than would be expected with conventional breeding and evolutionary processes. This is associated not only with the environmental risks of the specific NGT plant, but also with cascading risks for ecosystems. The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and NGT can significantly accelerate this development and lead to a multiplication of risks. Consequently, the release of organisms resulting from new genetic engineering techniques may endanger ecosystems, become a new cause of species extinction and threaten food security.

menglandwirtschaft@naturemwelt.lu – www.meng-landwirtschaft.lu

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