September 16, 2005

EU to consider approval for two new GM corn

EU officials said they would debate on approving the use of two new GM corn soon.

One GM corn is a Monsanto hybrid between MON 863 and MON 810. MON 863 was resistant towards certain pests such as corn rootworm, while MON 810 was resistant to other pests such as caterpillars and certain worms. The hybrid of the two strains was meant for industrial processing.

The other GM corn was known by its code number 1507, and jointly developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co. and Dow AgroSciences unit Mycogen Seeds. Its use was for import and processing for animal feed.

So far, EU member states have failed to reach a consensus regarding such GM products. This meant that under EU law, the European Commission might finally end up issuing an arbitrary approval for both GM corn, reports said.