Standards on health, consumer rights and the environment Will TTIP overrule EU laws? Show or hide the answer No.
TTIP will not overrule, repeal or amend EU legislation. The EU's 28 member countries and the European Parliament would have to approve any changes to EU laws or regulations in order to liberalise trade.
How will TTIP uphold the EU's strict standards that protect people and the environment? Show or hide the answer EU laws set high standards that protect, among others:
- human life and health
- animal health and welfare
- the environment
- consumers
In the EU, independent regulators advise governments on how strict these standards should be, based on the latest scientific research. TTIP will safeguard these standards, and governments' right in the future to set them as high as they wish.
Will TTIP open the EU market to hormone-fed beef from the US? Show or hide the answer No. Hormone-fed beef is banned in the EU. That will not change under TTIP.
Tough EU laws designed to protect human life and health, animal health and welfare, or the environment and consumers will not be changed because of TTIP.
- Food safety in TTIP

Will TTIP force the EU to change its laws on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)? Show or hide the answer No.
The EU has a strict system for deciding whether to allow companies to sell any given GMO in the EU. This is entirely separate from trade negotiations.
The EU basic law on GMOs - including the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) safety assessment and the risk management procedure - is not up for negotiation. It will not change as a result of TTIP.
Scientists at the EFSA assess all applications to sell GMO products in the EU. EU governments then consider their findings before deciding whether to approve the application. So far, they have authorised 58 GMOs.
Regulators in the EU and US already exchange information about GMOs - on policy, regulations and technical issues. TTIP could help them do so more effectively. This would help limit the effect on trade of our different systems for approving GMOs.
- Food safety in TTIP

Will the EU be flooded with cheap US food? Show or hide the answer The EU is the world's biggest importer and exporter of agricultural and food products. The food industry is the EU's largest manufacturing sector in terms of turnover.
US exports of agricultural commodities to the EU are vital as animal feed and ingredients in the food industry.
We are aware that competition from US products as a result of full liberalisation of EU-US trade could adversely affect some EU agricultural products.
In these cases, instead of full liberalisation we would negotiate import quotas, as we have in other EU free trade agreements.
Of course, US exports to the EU will still have to meet EU basic requirements, such as the EU's ban on beef from animals treated with growth hormones.
Questions and answers (TTIP) - Trade - European Commission