Open Letter to MEPs February 2026
For our Agricultural Sovereignity : vote against the deregulation of GMOs !
Members of the European Parliament,
We, citizens, gardeners, farmers, chefs, actors, journalists, scientists and public figures, all committed to healthy and sustainable agriculture, address you solmenly to ask you to reject the regulation on the plants obtained by New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) during the upcoming plenary vote of the European Parliament.
Adopted in trilogue in December 2025 and approved by the ENVI Committee on 28 January 2026, this text plans to deregulated almost all plants modified by these new techniques (targeted mutagenesis, cisgenesis, etc.) by treating them as conventional varieties, based on arbitrary criteria with no scientific foundation.
For these new GMOs, this would remove :
- Systematic environmental and health risk assessments;
- Mandatory traceabilty and labelling for conumers;
- Portections against the contamination of non-GMO crops, including organic farming.
The measures represent a major step backwards and will undoubtedly have very serious consequences :
1- A threat to biodiversity : NGTs generate unforeseen effects on the plant genome (mutations, genetic interactions and unexpected metabolic consquences, contamination, etc.) The news genetic traits, released without any assessement, threaten wild ecosystems and pollinators, as well as the genetic diversity of traditional seeds. Without rigorous evaluation, we run the risk of standardisation and an irreversible depletion of both wild and cultivated biodiversity.
2- Risks to organic and peasant agriculture, GMO-free sectors and quality labels, including Geographical Indicators : Organic farming will be the first one impacted by genetic contamination, and the entire sectors (producers, processors, distributors) are threatened by this text. The lack of direction methods, traceability and coexistences measures makes contamination inevitable.
3- Loss of food sovereignity and increased dependency : The text resulting from the trilogues does not ban the patents that accompagny these new technologies, contrary to the Parliament’s initial position, and these patents will affect all commercialised seeds. Most existing patents are hled by American giants (notably CORTEVA), and our breeders will be forced to sign costly licensing agreements with them. The freedom of action for our farmers will also be severely curtailed. We would thus be surrendering our food sovereignity entirely !
4- An unacceptable denial of consumer choice : Without traceability or labelling, Europeans will no longer be able to exercise their fundamental right to make an informed choice about their food or to refuse these "new GMOs" on their plates.
While hundreds of thousands of citizens have already signed petitions against the deregulation, and studies – notably from ANSES- highlight the scientific uncertainties, we demand that our agriculture and soverignty are not sacrificied in the name of a competitiveness that is entirely fictitious given the current patent portfolios, nor a fallacious agricultural transition driven by costly, uncontrolled technologies owned by a few foreign operators.
We already heard the deceptive siren calls 30 years ago with « classic » GMOs !
We therefore urge you to exercise caution and responsability, to honour the Parliament’s position form the first reading and to vote AGAINST this regulation in plenary. Above all, we call on you to defend :
• The maintenance of systematic, case-by-case assessments for the varieties concerned ;
• Mandatory labelling and rigorous traceability ;
• An effective ban on NGTs in organic farming, accompanied by all necessary procedural safeguards ;
• Strong measures against the patenting of life ;
• Robust protections for cultivated varieties against genetic contamination (including isolation of NGT crops and the "polluter pays" principle).
France the European leader in seed production holds a very specific responsibility in this matter and has historically always voted against GMOs. While the Macron government has, once again, betrayed France and its people by voting "FOR" in the Council of the EU, your vote can still block this text and defend a healthy, sovereign agricultural future.
We are counting on your commitment to defend the interests of both farmers and consumers.
Yours respectfully and with firm resolve,
