October 20, 2009
European Commission to authorise three GM corn varieties
The European Commission will make a quick decision to authorise three varieties of GM corn to relieve pressure on the livestock sector if EU ministers fail to agree, the EU farm chief said Monday (Oct 19).
EU farm ministers are expected to reach a stalemate over approval of the GM corn varieties from Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred, paving the way for default approval by European Commission.
The two corn varieties developed by Monsanto under the names MON88017 and MON89034, and the Pioneer corn known as 59122xNK603 have been approved by the European food safety watchdog, the European Food Safety Authority.
GM food is a sensitive issue in many EU countries, such as France, Austria and Poland, with many people hostile to what they call "Frankenstein foods".
EU law allows for rubberstamp GMO authorisations when ministers cannot agree after a certain time. Since 2004, the European Commission has approved a string of GM products, nearly all corn, in this way, outraging green groups.
The EU rejects the presence of any other GMO on EU territory, even in trace amounts, until approval for that specific GM product is granted.
In recent months, shipments of soy with traces of unauthorised GMOs have been blocked from entering the EU in Spain and Germany, raising concerns that Europe could face a shortage of high-protein soy and soymeal, used as livestock feed, which in turn would lead to high feed prices.
