268167 Role of Polish Public Health & EU authorities in introducing GMO products into the environment/market

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

Przemyslaw Bilinski, MD, PhD , Chief Sanitary Inspector, Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
Lucyna Kapka-Skrzypczak, PhD , University of Information Technology and Management, Department of Public Health, Rzeszow, Poland, Institute of Rural Health, Independent Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Lublin, Poland, Lublin, Poland
Piotr Holownia, PhD , Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Warsaw, Poland
Marek Posobkiewicz, PhD MD , Chief Sanitary Inspectorate in Poland, Warsaw, Poland
Andrzej Wojtyla, MD PhD , Director, Institute of Agricultural Medicine Lublin, Lublin, Poland
In order to assure the safe development of modern biotechnology, including GMO, the EU has established a legal framework regulating GMO in food and feed consistent with pursing the global objectives of high levels of human protection, health and welfare, accounting for environment and consumer interests whilst ensuring that the internal market works effectively. Direct market placement of GMO products results in GMO being released into the natural environment which is governed by national/EU regulations to ensure traceability of GMO products in the manufacture and distribution chain. If a business/representative wishes to place a GMO product on the market then a EU place of residence is required and the application is submitted to the appropriate authority, in Poland –the Chief sanitary Inspectorate, The information is then immediately relayed to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) who upon investigation provide a reasoned scientific opinion whether market placement should be allowed based on the best available evidence and expertise. EFSA thus plays a key role in whether a GMO product can legally enter the market. A recent key development in GMO legislation was that the European Commission (24.06.2011) harmonised implementing a zero-tolerance policy on non-authorised GMO material in feed, (EC 619/2011), replacing the previous system where EU countries had separate and different national rules in place. The systems in place are thereby designed to ensure that modifying genetic characteristics in plants or animals to produce new effects do not compromise public health safety in any way.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Learning objectives; Describe the legal framework for GMO product market placement in Poland and the EU, identifying key stages along the way for ensuring health protection.

Keywords: Food Safety, Genetics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Medical University of Lodz (MD), PhD; Endocrinology; in Poland. Clinical endocrinological post-graduate qualifications at leading European universities and senior management, administration, public health, education and business qualifications. Postings; Directors of major Polish teaching hospitals/departments (Lodz & Warsaw in internal medicine, osteoporosis & menopause, disease prevention, thyroidology, haematology & transfusion). Several consultantships member of European scientific and management associations. Current tenure is Chief Sanitary Inspector of Poland & Ministry of Health responsible for Public Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.