The regulation of genetically modified organisms in Switzerland is established notably by the Federal Constitution and the "Federal Act on Non-Human Gene Technology".
Contents
The use of genetically modified organisms (plants and animals) in Swiss agriculture is currently prohibited by a moratorium ; but some genetically modified organisms received import authorisations.
History
In 1992, Swiss voters voted in favour of the introduction of an article about assisted reproductive technologies and genetic engineering in the Swiss Federal Constitution.
In 1995, Switzerland introduced regulations requiring labelling of food containing genetically modified organisms. It was one of the first countries to introduce labelling requirements for GMOs.
In 2003, the Federal Assembly adopted the "Federal Act on Non-Human Gene Technology".
Moratorium
In 2005, Swiss voters voted in favour of a federal popular initiative introducing a moratorium on genetically modified organisms (plants and animals) in the Swiss agriculture from 2005 to 2010. Later, the Swiss parliament extended this moratorium to 2013.
Between 2007 and 2011, the Swiss Government funded thirty projects to investigate the risks and benefits of GMOs. These projects concluded that there were no clear health or environmental dangers associated with planting GMOs. However, they also concluded that there was little economic incentive for farmers to adopt GMOs in Switzerland. The reaction to the report included concerns about it minimizing the risk of genetically modified crops while talking up their potential benefits, as well as questions about the cost of responsibility if there were a problem. The Swiss parliament then extended the moratorium to 2017, and then to 2021.
Local level
As of 2016, six cantons (Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Ticino and Vaud) introduced laws against genetically modified organisms in agriculture. And more than one hundred of communes declared themselves free of genetically modified organisms (French: sans OGM).
Controls
The cantons of Switzerland perform tests to assess the presence of genetically modified organisms in foodstuffs. In 2008, 3% of the tested samples contained detectable amounts of GMOs. In 2012, 12.1% of the samples analysed contained detectable amounts of GMOs (including 2.4% of GMOs forbidden in Switzerland). Except one, all the samples tested contained less than 0.9% of GMOs; which is the threshold that impose labeling indicating the presence of GMOs in food.