The European Group on Ethics (EGE), met on January 21st with Mariann Fischer Boel, the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, to present the main recommendations of the Group's opinion on the ethical implications of modern developments in agriculture technologies. This recommendations will help to address the new challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for EU agriculture in relation to  modern developments in agriculture technologies.

In this opinion the European Group on Ethics (EGE) shows its awareness for the need for promoting innovation in agriculture in order to be able to feed the growing world population. It adds that technologies alone cannot provide final solutions to the challenges modern agriculture is facing in the EU and worldwide.

The EGE emphasised the need for an integrated view and an integrated approach on agriculture technologies so that the production, storage and distribution processes are considered together when the implications of any new technology is assessed ethically.

There are three main goals which are considered to be the first priorities and guiding principles to which any technology in agriculture must adhere:

1. Food security
2. Food safety
3. Sustainability

Using this ethical framework as a point of departure, the EGE also makes recommendations on a plethora of issues, such as: revision of EU Common Agriculture Policy, technology impact assessment of agricultural technologies; the right to food; Sustainability of agriculture technologies; Food safety; Agricultural biodiversity; Soil and water protection; Biofuels; GM crops; Research in agricultural sciences; policy-making in arable agriculture; Global trade in agricultural products; Intellectual Property Rights system; Fair competition and “vertical monopolies”; Food prices; Societal aspects; Public participation; Responsibility of EU citizens; Food waste etc.