GMW: EU authorizes controversial GM maize type by legal rubberstamp

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GMW: EU authorizes controversial GM maize type by legal

rubberstamp

" GM WATCH " <info

Mon, 8 Aug 2005 16:20:46 +0100

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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The European Commission have approved Monsanto's controversial GM

maize, MON863, for animal feed. The vote for food is still coming up at

September's Council of Ministers' meeting.

 

Reuters piece below.

 

See also FOE Europe press release:

http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2005/HM_08_August_maize.htm

 

Commission press release:

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/showInformation.do?pageName=middayExpress & guiLanguage\

=en

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EU authorizes GMO maize type by legal rubberstamp

Reuters, 08 August, 2005

By Jeremy Smith

 

BRUSSELS - The European Union authorized importsof a genetically

modified (GMO) maize on Monday, the third GMOproduct to win approval

since

the EU ended its unofficialbiotech ban last year, officials said.

 

The maize, known as MON 863, is engineered by U.S. biotechgiant

Monsanto to resist the corn rootworm insect.<p>In theory, the maize

may now be

sold across EU territoryfor processing into animal feed -- not for

growing -- but willhave to receive a second EU approval for use in food

beforeshipments can start. This might take another month, officialssaid.

 

" This authorization has been granted to Monsanto for 10years, " the

European Commission said in a statement. " When put on the market, it will

need to be clearly labeled as containinggenetically modified maize, " it

said.

 

Even though the EU has now lifted its six-year unofficialmoratorium on

approving new GMO products, national governmentshave consistently

clashed over biotech policy.

 

The EU's member states have ended meetings in deadlock 14times in a row

on whether to approve new GMO products, usuallyfor use in industrial

processing or as animal feed. The lasttime they actually agreed on a new

GMO approval was in 1998.

 

The decision taken by the European Commission was permittedunder a

legal default procedure that kicks in after nationalgovernments are

unable

to agree among themselves.

 

The last chance that the 25-nation bloc had to reach amajority

agreement was in late June at a meeting of EUenvironment ministers in

Luxembourg.

 

Green groups were angry about the GMO approval, sayingthere were

serious doubts about the maize's safety. TheEuropean Food Safety

Authority

(EFSA) gave MON 863 a clean billof health in April 2004 and deemed it as

safe as conventionalmaize.

 

" It is unacceptable that the European Commission pushesthrough this

controversial application when there are questionson long-term safety, "

said Helen Holder, GMO campaigner atenvironment lobby group Friends of

the Earth Europe.

 

In particular, green groups cite a feeding study of MON 863maize on

rats, which they say showed significant differencesregarding kidney

structures and levels of white blood cellsbetween rats fed on the GMO

maize

and those that were not.

 

The Commission says EFSA had already taken the rat studyinto account in

an updated risk assessment of the maize latelast year, seeing no reason

to change its original view.

 

 

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