2-Plants: EU pushed again to accept GM maize import

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TITLE:  EU PUSHED AGAIN TO ACCEPT GM MAIZE IMPORT
        Seventh time lucky for the European Commission?
SOURCE: Friends of the Earth Europe, Media Advisory
DATE:   19 Jul 2004

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EU PUSHED AGAIN TO ACCEPT GM MAIZE IMPORT
Seventh time lucky for the European Commission?

Brussels, 19 July. EU agriculture ministers will vote today 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 - the previous 6 attempts have all failed.(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). However, 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 again urges the agriculture ministers to reject
Monsanto's GM maize since:

- 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)

Adrian Bebb of Friends of the Earth Europe 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
goes into this vote knowing that it has failed on 6 previous occasions to
get sufficient support from the member states. If they fail again then
their position on GM foods will look increasingly untenable."

Contact:


Adrian Bebb +40 1609 490 1163 (mobile)


Notes
(1) Votes on GMO 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 FoEE briefing on genetically modified maize NK 603, see:
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/pending/nk603briefing.pdf




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