ENVIRONMENT-EU: NGOs Welcome ‘Common Sense’ over GM Food

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, Dec 9 2003 (IPS) - Leading civil society groups have welcomed a decision by member states of the European Union to maintain its de facto ban on new genetically modified foods.

Officials from the food chain and animal health committee of the European Union (EU) turned down a proposal by the European Commission (EC) Monday (Dec. 8) to approve a genetically modified version of sweetcorn known as Bt-11 maize.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth (FoE) welcomed the decision. FoE, Europe’s largest environmental network, described the decision as a “victory for public safety and common sense.”

NGOs were concerned that the EU would authorise import of the maize to appease the U.S. administration and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Opinion polls and public debates show a massive and constant rejection of GMOs by the European public for safety reasons, and due to wider concerns about the environment and about corporate control of the food chain.

The EC, the executive arm of the EU, had proposed under new rules to allow import of the sweetcorn by the Swiss firm Syngenta. The insect and herbicide-resistant strain is currently sold in the United States.

The EU has maintained a freeze on commercial development of GM foods since 1999, angering the United States and other nations growing GM crops. They say the EU decision has deprived them of a huge market in Europe and led African countries to refuse GM food aid.

Monday’s decision will further anger U.S. officials who have been urging EU leaders to drop their ban on GM foods.

The United States, backed by Canada and Argentina lodged a complaint with the WTO in May against the EU moratorium on the ground that it was an unfair trade barrier.

– The decision to try and authorise Bt-11 was clearly motivated by political reasons and pressure from the U.S. administration at the WTO,” advisor at the Greenpeace European unit Eric Gall told IPS.

ôThe GMO industry and U.S. producers will only be satisfied when there is no labelling and no choice left to consumers, as is currently, outrageously, the case in the U.S.,” Gall said.

ôApproving new GMOs through intricate EU procedures against such a background would not only have damaged the credibility of some ministers, it would have also made the European Commission and the WTO yet more illegitimate in the eyes of the public whose concerns have not been taken into account,” he added.

Geert Ritsema, GM campaign coordinator for FoE congratulated the EU for turning down what she described as an “outrageous” proposal by the Commission. She said the EU should now work to change its GMO policies.

“There is clearly no scientific consensus over the safety of this modified sweet corn,” she told IPS.

The EC too now has the opportunity to re-think its position, she said. ôThe public doesn’t want to eat GM foods, and question marks remain over its safety. The Commission must put the well-being of European citizens and their environment before the business interests of the U.S. government and the biotech industry.”

Several NGOs are concerned that new labeling and tracing regulations for GM crops are still not in place.

FoE spokesperson Adrian Bebb said that safety issues should be addressed before the EU considers lifting the moratorium.

ôSerious safety questions have not been fully addressed,” he told IPS. ôThese include concerns about whether the genes had been inserted as expected, criticisms that the safety conclusions made by Syngenta have not been proven, and questions over whether the toxin produced by the corn will cause allergies.”

Several members of the European Parliament also welcomed the EU decision..

ôThis is a victory for the protection of consumers,” said Monica Frassoni, co-president of the Green/European Free Alliance Party. ôPrecaution has to be taken in the case of the Bt-11 corn.”

EC spokeswoman for health and consumer protection Beate Gminder told reporters Monday that this decision had been expected.

ôThere was no qualified majority in favour, it will now pass to the Council (of farm ministers),” she said at a press conference.