On 28 June, European Environment ministers failed to reach an agreement in favour of or against the European Commission's proposal to authorise the import and processing of the genetically modified maize NK603 in the EU.

In the absence of a Council decision, the file will now go back to the Commission for final decision. The decision is expected within the coming weeks.

The maize has been modified for increased tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate by the company Monsanto.

If authorised, the maize would be used as any other maize, except for cultivation and food uses. Its authorisation would be for 10 years and it would have to be clearly labelled as being genetically modified. The approval for food uses is pending decision under EU GM Food legislation.

More information on EU and the regulation of GMOs can be found in MEMO/04/102.

Brussels, Belgium
29 June 2004

Source: EuropaBio

Once again, Council fails to reach majority in favour of biotech crop

The Environment Council of Ministers failed yesterday to reach a qualified majority vote to approve genetically modified maize (NK603) (1) for import, feed use, and industrial processing in the European Union. A submission for cultivation of NK603 in the EU, was made in January this year, and is not a part of this decision.

“Since April this year the EU GM regulatory framework has been in place meeting the earlier demands of EU Member States; the European Food Safety Authority has already provided a positive safety assessment after reviewing the science; yet the Council remains unable to approve this product,” says Simon Barber, Director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at EuropaBio, the European association for bioindustries. “We are disappointed that some Member States have not voted to approve the biotech product despite the fact that all their conditions for approval have been met. The application will now be passed back to the EU Commission and we call upon the Commission to finally approve NK603 without further delay.”

NK603 is field maize genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate herbicide and provides farmers with additional options of weed control management in this crop. The GM field maize is approved for food use in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United States and was first approved in 2000.

In December 2003, the EU’s European Food Safety Authority determined the safety of genetically modified NK603 field maize (2).  This reflects the earlier opinions of other regulatory authorities worldwide, and the experience in countries in which this maize is already approved, cultivated and used. 

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has 35 corporate members operating worldwide and 24 national biotechnology associations representing some 1200 small and medium sized enterprises involved in research and development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products.

(1)   NK603 is field maize developed by the Monsanto Company

(2)   Opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on NK603 maize

      http://www.efsa.eu.int/pdf/pressrel_gmo_0203_final_en.pdf