Farm ministers deadlocked over GM corn
EU farm ministers were deadlocked today on lifting a six-year ban on new biotech crops, failing to muster a majority for or against the sale of a genetically-modified sweetcorn variety.
The stalemate sends the decision to the European Commission, which has urged an end to the de facto moratorium following a complaint filed by Washington at the World Trade Organisation.
It was not clear how soon the EC could act, however. Spokeswoman Beate Gminder said on Friday only that it was “at our discretion.”
Ministers were voting on an application by Swiss-based Syngenta company for Bt11 sweetcorn, which would be sold in cans for human consumption – not for cultivation.
France, Portugal, Austria, Luxembourg, Greece and Denmark stuck to their no votes.
Spain, which voted yes last month, abstained this time along with Belgium and Germany.
Italy went from abstaining to voting yes, along with Britain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Finland.
The ministers faced a May 1 deadline.
The Bt11 proposal is the first of 34 applications to start working its way through a new approval process since EU governments enacted strict labelling and traceability rules for products with genetically-modified ingredients last year.
Despite the protections, environmentalists continue to oppose the use of genetically-engineered crops, saying they cause damage to both the environment and to human health.
“There are too many question marks hanging over this food,” said Geert Ritsma from Friends of the Earth, which picketed today’s meeting in Luxembourg.
Syngenta however, disagreed, saying the altered sweetcorn was judged safe by numerous scientific experts.
