Organisation and function of the German GMO Location Register

Standortregister
The German GMO Location Register was established in February 2005 by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) according to the German Genetic Engineering Act and the EU Directive 2001/18/EC. For cultivation or experimental release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in Germany it is obligatory to give a notification to the location register.

The location register records the geographical location and reference of the sites with cultivation or experimental release of GMO in form of exact cadastral data, field size, notification date, and information about the GMO. The primary purpose of the location register is general surveillance and monitoring of potential adverse effects of such GMOs on the environment and human or animal health. The location register informs scientists, regulators and other stakeholders (e.g. farmers) about GMO cultivation and experimental release in specific environments. In addition, it enables coexistence measures by informing conventional farmers about GMO cultivation in their neighbourhood and by achieving agreements to minimize outcrossing of GMO in conventional or organic cultures.

The public access to the information in the location register is provided via internet on the BVL homepage, taking into account that the person-related data of the farmers are for restricted use by authorized stakeholders only. Information about single person-related data is given to public applicants with plausible interest (e. g. third party farmers, beekeepers) in case of potential conflicts with coexistence measures, e.g. isolation distances, if there is no other plausible interest of the GMO farmer to exclude the information from the public. The decision for release of person-related data is taken by the BVL dependent on a written application with verification of a plausible interest. In all cases data security and data protection have to be guaranteed.

The details of the GMO Location Register are presented here.