January 17, 2007

Europe to end extra checks on US corn
 

The EU nations voted on Tuesday (Jan 16) to end extra checks for the unauthorised Bt10 strain of GM corn in the US imports of corn gluten animal feed and brewers' grain, saying they were no longer necessary.

The European Commission (EC) noted that the last case of Bt10 in the US was detected in early Nov 2005 and Syngenta Seeds of Minneapolis, US, the company responsible for the same has since taken measures not to propagate the same, said a statement.

Syngenta Seeds earlier voluntarily disclosed that it might have unintentionally distributed Bt 10 to the US, Europe and South America between 2001-04. The incident raised an alarm in the EU resulting in a ban on US corn gluten imports suspected of containing the strain.

The move forced US exporters to certify that their corn was free of the biotech variety.

Though Washington claimed the biotech product was neither a health nor an environmental hazard, the EU have been particularly wary of allowing GM food and animal feed following an array of food scandals over the past decade.

Only one consignment from the US ever tested positive for Bt10, in May 2005. It was stopped at the EU border.

Although the EU executive noted there was no need for emergency measures against Bt10, he said a random testing for Bt10 would continue for the next six months.