Co-existence with GMOs and organic seed production

Summary

Co-existence is defined as the farmers being able to choose between conventional, organic and genetically modified (GM) crop production, in compliance with the relevant legislation on labelling rules and purity standards. Genes of cultivated plants spread in time and space through pollen and seed dispersal, and in addition handling during transport and processing may also disperse seeds.
Consequently, suitable measures during cultivation, harvest, transport, storage, and processing are necessary to ensure co-existence in the supply chain of propagated seed. With the increasing area of GM-crop production as well as in the number of crops in which GM-varieties are available the need for guidelines to ensure coexistence are becoming increasingly essential.
In organic farming systems only organically produced seed should be used. Within the European Union (EU) the regulation 2092/91 states that only organically produced seed can be used in organic farming systems. However, in a number of species organic seed is not available, and for the moment derogations are made that conventionally produced seed may be used in such circumstances. Seed of cultivated crops are often multiplied in specific regions – due to climatic conditions, growers expertise, the infrastructure of the seed industry etc. and hence seed is often moved cross borders, and therefore an internationally approved regulatory system, which guarantee the level of varietal identity and purity, is needed.