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THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE 23 June 2005
RE: EU FAILS TO TAKE DECISION ON GM MAIZE 1507 We wish to bring to your attention that EU food safety experts have failed to approve the authorization of GM maize 1507 made jointly by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co., and Dow AgroSciences unit Mycogen Seeds, for food use. This makes it the 13th voting deadlock in a row on GMOs in the EU, reflecting the lack of consensus. Some Member States remain deeply concerned over the potential health and environmental impacts of GMOs. 1507 maize is engineered to resist the widely used glufosinate-ammonium herbicide and certain insects, in particular the European corn borer. Britain, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands voted in favour of authorising the maize while Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovenia voted against, and the rest of the EU members abstained. The application for authorization as food for 1507 maize will now be transmitted to the Council of EU ministers for adoption, and they will have three months to decide. If they fail to do so, the European Commission will have the decision making power. Meanwhile in South Africa, attempts to conduct field trials for 1507 maize had been delayed for now.
Chee Yoke Heong
EU in Deadlock over New GMO
Approval BRUSSELS - EU food safety experts failed to agree on approving a genetically modified (GMO) maize on Friday, once again revealing Europe's deep divisions over biotech foods, a European Commission official said. It was the EU's 13th voting deadlock in a row on GMO foods. The experts, representing the EU's 25 member states, could not reach a majority under the bloc's weighted voting system to approve or reject the application for approval. EU ministers will now debate the matter, probably after the summer. Despite last year's lifting of an effective biotech moratorium by a legal default procedure, EU countries have not managed to agree by themselves on a GMO approval since 1998. The maize, known as 1507, is jointly made by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co., and Dow AgroSciences unit Mycogen Seeds. "It (the application to authorise) will now be transmitted to Council (of EU ministers) for adoption, and they will have three months. If they don't decide, the Commission will adopt," the official told Reuters. The application was for use as an ingredient in food, appearing in products such as starch, flour and corn syrups. Maize is used far more in animal feed than as food. 1507 maize is engineered to resist the widely used glufosinate-ammonium herbicide and certain insects, in particular the European corn borer. Britain, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands voted in favour of authorising the maize. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovenia voted again, and the rest of the EU-25 abstained. "Even though there were so few votes against 1507 maize for food use in the EU, it is disappointing that the EU again failed to reach the required QM (qualified majority) in favour of approving a safe new GMO product," Pioneer said in a statement. "We now urge ministers to support the regulatory system they themselves put in place and swiftly approve 1507 maize which meets the EU's strict regulatory requirements," it said. Consumer in Europe have been far more reluctant than those in the United States to accept GMO products, while manufacturers of GMO foods insist they are safe.
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