Brussels, Belgium
September 30, 2008
The Commission will transmit to
the Council a proposal to authorise a genetically modified (GM)
soybean after Member States did not endorse it today during a
meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal
Health (SCoFCAH). The Commission presented today to SCoFCAH the
proposal for the authorisation of GM soybean MON89788, also
known as "RoundupReady2" soybean, for import and processing and
food and feed uses.
The authorisation of this GM soybean is important as it will
help preventing shortages in supply of the EU livestock industry
with soybean imports from third countries.
Member States returned no definitive opinion, either for or
against the proposal, during the SCoFCAH meeting.
The Commission tabled the proposal following an application
submitted by the American food biotechnology company Monsanto
and a favourable scientific assessment from the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA), which addressed all safety concerns.
EFSA concluded that there is no risk to human or animal health
or to the environment.
As a result of today's inconclusive vote, the Commission will
now transmit the dossier to the Council for a decision.
If the Council does not reach a position within three months,
the proposal will be sent back to the Commission for final
adoption.
For more information, see:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/biotechnology/index_en.htm |
|
