May 19, 2004
Associated Press
Brussels — The European Union lifted its six-year moratorium on biotech products Wednesday by approving imports of an insect-resistant strain of sweet corn for human consumption.
David Byrne, the EU's commissioner for health and consumer protection, said the Bt11 strain from Swiss-based Syngenta was approved after "the most rigorous pre-marketing assessment in the world."
"It has been scientifically assessed as being as safe as any conventional maize," he said. "Food safety is therefore not an issue, it is a question of consumer choice."
The genetically modified corn would only be imported and not grown in Europe, although an application for cultivation is pending. Any biotech corn sold — canned or fresh — would have to be labelled under strict new rules that took effect last month.
"Labelling provides consumers with the information they need to make up their own mind," Mr. Byrne said. "They are therefore free to choose what they want to buy."
Syngenta spokesman Rainer von Mielecki said it was now up to European consumers to make up their mind. "We understand and accept this," he said.
Mr. von Mielecki said there would be no immediate financial impact as it would take time for the market to develop in Europe. Syngenta currently generates around three per cent of its annual sales — representing about $275-million Canadian — from genetically modified organisms.
The commission announced its intention to lift the ban last week and followed through Wednesday despite last ditch appeals from biotech opponents, who accused the Brussels-based bureaucracy of ignoring widespread distaste across Europe for genetically modified foods.
EU governments were bitterly divided in several votes since December, which under EU rules sent the decision ultimately to the EU's executive body.
A delegation of Green politicians warned Commission President Romano Prodi on Tuesday that lifting the moratorium when several countries continue to oppose it "might be seen as an abuse of power," according to Green party spokesman Helmut Weixler.
Friends of the Earth Europe also warned the commission — often derided as an arrogant bureaucracy out of touch with average Europeans — that it will face "increased public hostility if they force through the approval."
The executive commission insists that a new approval process and strict new laws on traceability and labelling provide adequate protection for consumers.
"The Commission is acting responsibly based on stringent and clear legislation," Byrne said.
The EU has also been under pressure from the United States and other major agricultural exporters, which charge the six-year-old ban is unscientific and thus illegal under international trade rules. U.S. officials say they will press ahead with their complaint at the World Trade Organization despite Wednesday's step.
But the biotech industry has also begun to retrench, especially in Europe, where polls show wide majorities do not want to eat genetically modified foods. Last week U.S.-based Monsanto shelved plans to offer farmers its genetically modified spring wheat due to a lack of market demand. A month earlier, Germany's Bayer Cropscience gave up attempts to grow genetically modified corn commercially in Britain.
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