The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) has published today a statement reaffirming the conclusions of its risk assessment adopted on 2 April 2004 confirming the safety of MON 863 maize¹.

On 20 September 2004 the Regulatory Committee under Directive 2001/18/EC discussed a draft Commission decision on the authorization for the placing on the market of genetically modified maize MON 863. Following discussions concerning another evaluation, submitted by German authorities, of one of the studies reviewed
by the EFSA Panel, the European Commission decided to postpone the vote on MON 863 maize. The Commission has sought scientific advice from EFSA as to whether this new evaluation might have any impact on the former opinions issued by the GMO Panel related to MON 863 maize.

Following further investigation and careful consideration of the recently published information2 made available to EFSA, the GMO Panel concluded that the evidence presented does not affect its previous scientific advice with regards to MON 863. In its opinion, the GMO Panel concluded that “the placing on the market of MON 863 maize is unlikely to have an adverse effect on human and animal health or on the environment, in the context of its intended use.”

The statement of the GMO Panel opinion is available on the EFSA web site at:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/statements/666_en.html

¹ EFSA, 2004a. Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms on a request from the
Commission related to the Notification (Reference C/DE/02/9) for the placing on the market of insect-protected genetically modified maize MON 863 and MON 863 x MON 810, for import and processing, under Part C of Directive 2001/18/EC from Monsanto, The EFSA Journal (2004) 49, 1-25. http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/381/opinion_gmo_06_en1.pdf

Statement of the Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms on an evaluation of the 13-week rat feeding study on MON 863 maize, submitted by the German authorities to the European Commission

adopted on 20 October 2004

Statement in PDF format: http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/statements/666/sr_gmo01_statement_study_mon863_en1.pdf