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The Precautionary Principle and how TTIP may kill it …and you?

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Current food regulations use the ‘precautionary principle’, which means it is possible to withdraw a product from the market if there is a risk that it may pose a danger to human health, even if there is insufficient scientific data on which to base a full evaluation of the risk. Any company seeking to market a potentially dangerous product is required to prove that it is safe.

At the recent Food Group meeting Chris shared a letter received on the day of the meeting from Andrew Stunell MP OBE about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Enclosed with his letter was a copy of House of Commons Standard Note SN/EP/6688 (19th Feb 2014) by Gavin Thomson giving information about Economic Policy and Statistics. Within the section 3.2 Potential sticking points and controversies are the following . . .

  • Following initial pressure from France, the European Parliament passed a resolution on 23 May to formally request that the audiovisual sector be excluded from trade negotiations.
  • The consequences of this exclusion and the tit-for-tat nature of trade negotiations . . . suggests there will be a price to pay . . .
  • Food standards at risk
    • GM crops are strictly regulated in the EU
    • EU directives prohibit the importation of meat treated with certain growth hormones and chicken washed with chlorine
    • At the start of negotiations, President Obama noted that one of the major objectives for the US was the elimination of food standards ‘not based on science’.

Although neither Andrew Stunell’s letter nor the Standard Note enclosed specifically mentions ‘The Precautionary Principle’ from President Obama’s statement it is clear that it is in the firing line, which means that the onus on proving food safe will shift from companies seeking to market food products to a situation where every new food product will be presumed safe until proven otherwise !

ACTION: Why not go along to. . .

Sat 21 Mar: War on Want TTIP conference, Central Hall

When: 1pm – 6pm, Saturday 21st March
Where: Methodist Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ
More info & booking: http://www.waronwant.org/news/events/18257-ttip-building-the-fightback

 

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