DEFRA has today written to the Commission explaining why amendments to two consents on GM maize are no longer necessary.

Following the Farm-scale Evaluations (FSEs), Defra wrote to the French authorities proposing amendments to the two existing consents to cultivate two types of GM maize. These would have restricted the herbicide management regimes used in conjunction with the crops. Following consideration with the French authorities and the withdrawal by BayerCropScience of its proposal to market a variety of GM maize, Defra has concluded neither amendment is necessary.

On one type of GM maize event (T25), since Defra made the proposal for restricting the consent in March, BayerCropScience has announced the withdrawal of Chardon LL, the GM maize variety containing the T25 event, from EU marketing approvals. Hence, there will be no commercial cultivation of T25 before its consent expires in 2006 and therefore amending its consent is unnecessary.

On the other type of GM maize(Bt176), the French authorities' review of the original application has shown that while the herbicide tolerance gene is present, the characteristic is not sufficiently strong for it to be used in the field. Hence, glufosinate ammonium (the herbicide used in the FSEs) would not be used in conjunction with the crop and therefore the additional consent condition is not necessary. The Advisory Committee on releases to the Environment [ACRE] will consider in light of this whether a different restriction should be put forward.

In writing to the Commission, Defra has made clear that while there is no longer any urgency, it nonetheless wishes to pursue the general issue of controlling herbicide usage with GM crops especially in respect of any future applications to cultivate GM maize in the EU.

BACKGROUND

The Farm Scale Evaluation results showed that the cultivation of herbicide tolerant GM maize increased the population of weeds compared to the cultivation of conventional maize, with consequent benefits on farmland biodiversity. The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) subsequently concluded that cultivation of herbicide tolerant GM maize would not result in adverse effects on the environment if that cultivation was managed in a similar fashion. Defra therefore proposed that the two existing EU consents for GM maize Bt176 and T25 (Chardon LL) should be restricted either to the herbicide regime used in the FSEs or alternatives that would not result in any adverse effects compared with regimes used on conventional maize. France issued the relevant GM maize consents in 1997 and 1998 which are valid throughout the EU.