EuropaBio news release
Today, the
Agriculture Council of Ministers failed to reach a qualified
majority vote to approve a genetically modified sweet corn
(Bt-11) for food use in the European Union; it is already
approved in other parts of the world. This sweet corn is
genetically modified to protect itself from corn borer insect
damage (1).
"We are
disappointed that the Council failed to approve the sweet corn
but now look to the EU Commission to move forward with a
decision to approve this product," says Johan Vanhemelrijck,
Secretary General of EuropaBio, the European association for
bioindustries. "The file was submitted in 1998 and the EU
Scientific Committee on Food has declared Bt-11 as safe as its
conventional counterparts."
In 1998, some
Member States said they would not approve any new products
until new laws on traceability and labelling were in place.
These rules came into force in the EU on 18th
April. "We are disappointed that some Member States have not
kept their side of the agreement despite the fact that all the
conditions have been met," says Johan Vanhemelrijck.
The GM sweet corn is approved for food use
in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, New
Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland
and the United States and was first approved in United States
and Canada in 1996.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Food has
acknowledged the safety of genetically enhanced Bt-11 sweet
corn. This reflects the opinion of several other regulatory
authorities worldwide, and the experience in countries in
which Bt sweet corn is already approved.
The
application will now be passed back to the EU Commission which
is expected to approve it.
BACKGROUND
The sweet corn has been developed by
Syngenta, a EuropaBio member company
http://www.syngenta.com/en/downloads/Bt_sweet_corn_update_3-04_final.pdf
EuropaBio
Fact sheet on Bt 11:
http://www.europabio.org/upload/articles/article_285_EN.doc
EuropaBio,
the European Association for Bioindustries, has 35 corporate
members operating worldwide and 23 national biotechnology
associations representing some 1200 small and medium sized
enterprises involved in research and development, testing,
manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products.
