(new: more details and background)

STRASBOURG (dpa-AFX) - The European Parliament wants less stringent rules for genetically modified food. "The aim is to make the food system both more sustainable and crisis-proof by developing improved plant varieties," the Parliament announced on Wednesday after a majority of MEPs voted in favor of the proposal. In contrast to the EU Commission's original proposal, however, Parliament wants all genetically engineered products to have to be labeled in supermarkets in future - even if they have been bred using modern genetic engineering methods.

The Brussels authority had proposed that this would not be necessary if breeding could have been achieved by conventional methods such as selection. Seed produced by modern genetic engineering must be labeled, even if it is indistinguishable from traditional breeding.

Before less stringent rules can be finally adopted, they must be negotiated with the EU member states in a further step. It is unrealistic that there will be a result before the European elections in the summer, partly because the EU states have not yet agreed on a negotiating position. The controversial project would have to find another majority in Parliament once the negotiations have been concluded. The decisive factor here will be the majority after the election.

Plants could become more resistant to climate change

If there is deregulation, it should become easier to create new breeds using modern genetic engineering methods. Proponents of these methods hope that plants will have more nutrients or be more resistant to the consequences of climate change, for example. Some also hope that this will mean that fewer pesticides will need to be used.

Organic farmers should continue to work without genetic engineering. They complain that they are disproportionately burdened as they would have to protect themselves against genetically modified plants spreading unintentionally from other fields onto their land. Members of the European Parliament from the Greens and the SPD have criticized the plan. They speak of potential risks to the environment. "Genetic engineering only enriches the big corporations," said Carola Rackete, the Left Party's lead candidate for the European elections. At the same time, genetic engineering is expensive and does not help against hunger in the world.

Agreement from CDU and FDP

CDU MEP Peter Liese takes a completely different view. "Traits such as climate or pest resistance can be achieved in a very targeted way," he said. As a doctor, he does not see any irresponsible risks for humans or the environment. Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) also welcomes the fact that the rules for genetically modified food are to be relaxed.

Parliament also announced that MEPs are calling for a complete ban on patents on all plants, plant material and parts thereof if they have been bred using so-called new genetic engineering. "Legal uncertainties, increased costs and new dependencies for farmers and breeders should be avoided."

The manipulation of crops has a long tradition. "Since the Neolithic revolution around 12,000 years ago, plants have been bred and genetically modified so that they are more productive and easier to use agriculturally," writes the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The genome of the plants - i.e. the entirety of the genes - is intervened in, for example, by selecting the highest-yielding plants and sowing them again.

The so-called new genetic engineering mainly involves the gene scissors discovered a good ten years ago. They specifically target genes that are responsible for a particular trait. The gene strand is cut at a specific point and then reassembled by the cell's own repair system. This results in changes in the genetic material that can also occur naturally./mjm/DP/jha