A decision by Europe’s agriculture ministers not to allow imports of
genetically modified maize raises the spectra of a continued EU freeze
on biotech, warn US officials.
The EU’s 25 national governments failed
to back a Brussels proposal to open Europe’s door to imports of
Monsanto¹s NK603 maize as a ‘novel food’.
The US biotech company is seeking EU authorization for NK603 as a food
product; the maize has been modified to tolerate a Monsanto herbicide.
A Luxembourg meeting of environment ministers, under an EU labeling of
GM products procedure, on June 28 also failed to give the green light to
the maize.
The latest failure to authorize a GM product has not impressed
Washington.
US officials have told EUpolitix.com that the decision raises a
“serious” question mark over an EU commitment to end a five-year
moratorium on biotech crops.
“This demonstrates that the EU still lacks a functioning, objective, and
predictable approval process that considers applications for
agricultural products of modern biotechnology without undue delay,” Stan
Cohen, senior agricultural attaché, at
the US Mission to the EU, told
organicconsumers.org.
“This is particularly true when so many applications that have already
received
positive scientific evaluations continue to await approval.”
“This situation raises serious questions about whether or when the EU’s
moratorium on biotech products will, in fact, come to an end.”
With no clear ‘yes’ from governments, the buck has now been passed back
to
the European Commission and Europe’s executive is expected to give
NK603 the go-ahead in September.
Brussels is getting frustrated with a failure of nerve by national
governments to authorize biotech products that are unpopular with public
opinion, leaving the commission holding a hot political potato.
Commissioners point to scientific evidence giving NK603 a clean bill of
health
and the possibility of international litigation if EU governments
continue to block GM.
Highlighting the issue, and also on Monday, the EU executive cleared
NK603
“for use in animal feed or for industrial purposes”.
EU environment chief Margot Wallstrom stressed that authorization
followed rigorous procedures.
“The maize has been subject to a rigorous pre-market risk assessment. It
has
been scientifically assessed by the European Food Safety Authority
as being as
safe as any conventional maize,” she said.
“Its safety is, therefore, not in question, and neither is the question
of user or consumer choice. Clear labeling provides farmers and
consumers with the information they need to decide whether to buy the
product or not.”
Green campaigners believe the situation indicates the failure of the
EU’s GM regulatory structures, revived in April after a five year freeze
on the new technology.
“This pattern of decision-making by default is starting to expose the
lack of credibility of EU authorization procedures,” said Greenpeace
spokesman Eric
Gall.
“Most consumers do not want GMOs and member states have not agreed to
approve them, the commission is defying democracy by pushing through
these approvals to satisfy the biotech lobby and its US backers. (www.organicconsumers.org)
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