OGM : de la traçabilité et de la coexistence des filières à l’aménagement du territoire

Abstract

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) constitute one of the most important innovations in agricultural production over the 2 last decades. While GMO cultivation is highly developed in some third countries, it is rather small in the European Union. Reluctance of some consumers and producers led the European Union to settle this complex legislative framework by conserving the freedom of choice of consumers through labelling and supply chain coexistence and of producers through production coexistence. Plant biology, territory organization by supply chains downstream operators, societal aspects and economics make the definition and implementation of coexistence rules very complex. The practical lower threshold, used by supply chains’ operators, and the GMO-free low threshold all militate for a coexistence mode based on collectively organized dedicated production areas instead of flexible coexistence based on the choices of individual farmers. This paper provides a summary of elements for further thinking on these two coexistence frames.

Keywords

• genetically modified organism
• GMO
• traceability
• coexistence
• supply chain
• territory