On June 24 the European Commission took a baby step forward by harmonizing regulations on unapproved genetically modified (GM) organisms found in trace amounts in animal feed imports. Up to 0.1% GM products will now be allowed in feed, in a move aimed at easing feed shortage fears. Lack of synchronicity in GM regulations between importing and exporting countries means that when traces of GM organisms find their way into feed and food, shipments are blocked and the risk of supply disruptions mounts. Val Giddings, senior fellow with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Washington, DC, says, “The biotech industry will be affected indirectly. The new rules will make the lives of their biggest customers easier...They are the ones who ship harvest around the world and bear the brunt of exposure when detection methods of unprecedented power are linked with a regulatory regime unhinged from risk, reason or reality.” The new threshold will apply only under certain conditions (for instance, authorization pending in EU for over three months), and does not apply to food, however. “It's a limited stopgap, doing nothing for food and not enough for feed,” Giddings adds. According to Carel du Marchie Sarvaas, from EuropaBio, “Longer-term solutions should include a more efficient and rapid processing of GM products through the EU system but there are no indications things might improve soon.”