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BRUSSELS – Tiny amounts of unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will be permitted in food imports to the European Union under draft rules due to be proposed shortly by the bloc’s executive, EU officials said on Monday.

Exporters and European producers say the rules are needed to avoid disruptions to food imports, with global supply chains making it increasingly difficult to guarantee cargoes bound for Europe are free of GMOs not yet approved in the bloc.

“The European Commission has said it wants to tackle this issue before the end of this year, and we will table a proposal in the very near future,” Commission spokesman for health and consumers Frederic Vincent said.

The draft rules are likely to be proposed before the European summer break to allow enough time for EU governments and lawmakers to approve them by the end of the year, said another official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last year, the bloc approved a similar law allowing up to 0.1 percent of unapproved GMO material in animal feed imports, after several shipments from the United States were blocked at EU ports after unapproved GM material was found in some cargoes.

The problem arises because of the slow pace of GMO approvals in Europe, which create delays of up to two years between new varieties being cleared for cultivation in North and South America and getting import approval from the European Union.