Published on 3 February 2025

Marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

The legal requirements for marketing GMOs can be found in the corresponding product legislation (product-specific requirements), and in:

Moratorium and coexistence

For current information on these topics, please consult:

Inverkehrbringen von gentechnisch veränderten Organismen (GVO)

Mise en circulation d’organismes génétiquement modifiés (OGM)

Messa in commercio di organismi geneticamente modificati (OGM)

Competence

Competence for issuing licences and the applicable authorisation procedure depend on the product category (intended use of the GMOs). Competence and procedures are regulated in Article 26 of the Release Ordinance:

Food, additives and processing aids:

Biocidal products:

Medicines:

Immunobiological veterinary medicines:

Animal feed:

Plant protection products:

Fertilisers:

Plant propagation material for forestry:

  • Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN): no authorisations issued as yet
  • Applications should be submitted to: Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Biotechnology Section, 3003 Bern, Tel. 058 462 93 49, e-mail: contact.releases@bafu.admin.ch

Plant propagation material for other applications (particularly agriculture):

Other applications:

  • Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN): no authorisations issued as yet
  • Applications should be submitted to: Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Biotechnology Section, 3003 Bern, Tel. 058 462 93 49, e-mail: contact.releases@bafu.admin.ch

Authorised products in Switzerland (may 2015)

The following genetically modified organisms are currently authorised in Switzerland:

  • 3 maize varieties and 1 soy variety as food and animal feed
  • 1 vaccine each for cats and horses as Immunobiological veterinary medicines

Further information