Archived press release

EU Pushed To Accept GM

19 July 2004

EU agriculture ministers will vote today (Monday 19th July) on an application by the US company Monsanto to allow the import into the EU of a genetically modified (GM) maize called NK603. This will be the seventh attempt by the European Commission to win support from the member states for a GM product - previous attempts have all failed, despite UK support [1].

The maize, which has been engineered to resist Monsanto's own herbicide (called RoundUp), has already been given the green light by the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). But the Commission has so far failed to gain enough support from member states for the approval of the controversial corn.

Only last month the Commission failed to get the qualified majority it needed for the NK603 to be used as animal feed. Today's vote will be for its use as a human food.

Friends of the Earth believes agriculture ministers must reject Monsanto's GM maize because:

• There has only been an analysis of the short-term effects on human and animal health. There has been no analysis of the long-term effects on subsequent generations and the effects on health sensitive consumers. This is in breach of article 14 (4) of EU Regulation 178/2002.
• There has been insufficient analysis of allergenicity. It is unacceptable that EFSA has dismissed the legitimate concerns raised by several Member States, about the suitability of the approach used for allergenicity testing. EFSA has also neglected a recent OECD report that demonstrates that maize can cause allergic reactions [2].

Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:

"Scientists and member state authorities still disagree over the potential health effects of Monsanto's genetically modified maize. This product should not be on the market until all questions about its safety are clarified.

"The Commission knows it has failed on six previous occasions to get sufficient support from the member states. If they fail again then their position on GM foods will look increasingly untenable."

Notes

[1] Votes on GM approvals by member states

8 December 2003: Vote on BT11 at the Standing Committee on Food and Chain and Animal Health. Result: no qualified majority (QM). [in favour ES, IE, NL, FI, SW, UK; against: DK, GR, FR, LU, AT, PT; abstentions BE, DE, IT]

18 February 2004: Vote on NK 603 (C/ES/00/01) for import and use in feed and industrial processing at the Standing Committee of Release of GMOs into the Environment. Result: no QM [in favour ES, BE, FI, FR, IT, NL PT, SW, UK; against: LU, AT, DK, GR, IT, Abstention DE].

26 April: Vote on BT11 at the Council of Agriculture. Result: no QM. [in favour: IE, NL, FI, SW, UK, IT; against: DK, GR, FR, LU, AT, PT, abstentions: BE, DE, ES]

30 April: Vote on NK 603 (NL 13/08/2002) for food. at the Standing Committee on Food and Chain and Animal Health. Result: no QM. {in favour IT, IE, NL, FI, SW, UK, FR, BE; against: DK, GR, FR, AT, PT, abstentions ES, DE]

16 June: Vote on GT 73 for import and use in feed and industrial processing at the Standing Committee of Release of GMOs into the Environment. Results: no QM [in favour: BE, CZ, FI, FR, NL. LV, PT, SK, SW, against: AT, CY, DK, EE, GR, HU, IT, MT, LT, LU, PL, UK, abstentions: DE, IE, ES, SI]

28 June: Indicative vote on NK 603 (C/ES/00/01) for import and use in feed and industrial processing at the council of Environment Ministers no QM [in favour: CZ, EE, FI, FR, IE, NL, LV, PL, PT, SW, UK against: AT, CY, DK, GR, HU, IT, MT, LT, LU abstentions: BE, DE, ES, SK, SI].

[2] For a detailed Friends of the Earth Europe briefing on genetically modified maize NK 603, see www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/pending/nk603briefing.pdf (PDF format)

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