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Lentils Weigh Mutagenesis Risks

PANAMA - Jul 27/18 - SNS -- Lentil markets finished the week with considerable uncertainty about potential interruptions to European trade.

The issue was last week's court decision which found that varieties developed using mutagenesis should be considered genetically modified organisms (GMO) and subject the European Union laws.

In making its decision the court said varieties "obtained by mutagenesis techniques which have conventionally been used in a number of applications and have a long safety record are exempt from those obligations, on the understanding that the Member States are free to subject them, in compliance with EU law, to the obligations laid down by the (GMO) directive or to other obligations."

In reaching its decision, the court essentially rejected an opinion given in January by the advocate general Michal Bobek that crops obtained from mutagenesis do not fall under GMO laws, but that individual states have the ability to regulate their use.

In a statement at that time, Bobek said, "The advocate general does not see any grounds deriving from the general duty to update legislation ... which could affect the validity of the mutagenesis exemption."

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