Biosafety: Federal Council adopts the Cartagena Ordinance

Bern, 03.11.2004 - The Federal Council has adopted the Cartagena Ordinance governing the export of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Companies must henceforth obtain authorisation from the importing country prior to shipment of GMOs, and are obliged to provide detailed information on the product. An early-warning system must be set up to detect and respond to unintentional transboundary movement of GMOs. The new ordinance will come into force on 1 January, 2005.

The new ordinance completes the measures required to implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which was ratified by Switzerland in 2002 and came into force in 2003. It primarily covers the export of GMOs, since the import of GMOs is already governed by the Ordinance on the Release of Organisms into the Environment.

In particular, the Cartagena Ordinance (OCart) stipulates:

  • that exporters of GMOs henceforth provide assurance that the importing country has been sufficiently informed and has approved the import. Applied to date on a voluntary basis, this advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure is now obligatory;
  • that GMO shipments must be accompanied by documentation which clearly indicates the presence of GMOs. Products must be identified in accordance with the international code adopted by the European Union;
  • that a reciprocal early-warning system be set up with neighbouring countries in order to detect and address unintentional transboundary releases of GMOs. The transboundary contamination by pollen has not been regarded as unintentional release. Last September, Switzerland drew attention to this problem at the meeting of German-speaking environment ministers in Potsdam. Work is to start with specialised services in neighbouring countries to identify gaps and develop the requisite instruments;
  • that federal offices participate in the Biosafety Clearing House via the Swiss Biosafety Clearing House set up by the Swiss Agency for Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL).

The new measures primarily concern the research and agricultural sectors. The coming into force of the OCart will create virtually no additional tasks for these sectors, who have been applying the directives of the Swiss Expert Committee on Biosafety since 1995, which provide for the advance informed agreement procedure for GMO exports.

Guarantee of GMO traceability

In the course of the public consultation procedure, the ordinance project received major support from cantons and concerned parties. The introduction of a unique identification system and accompanying documentation were regarded as particularly useful as a means of guaranteeing GMO traceability.


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