Strict new rules on GM foods

2001-02-16 10:15

Brussels, Belgium - European Union nations formally approved stricter new rules on labelling and monitoring of genetically modified food on Thursday, a step toward ending a three-year-old de facto moratorium on the licensing of new biotech products.

The 15 EU nations now have 18 months to implement the rules.

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, said it hoped the new law would be enough to persuade governments to stop blocking the licensing of new genetically modified food products.

Some EU nations stopped granting new licenses for such products three years ago in the face of public health and environment concerns over a lack of legislation over the biotech industry. The body had previous approved 18 such products.

"The commission thinks the moratorium should be tackled and overcome," said Beate Gminder, the body's pubic health spokeswoman. "We don't think it is a solution just to remain at a standstill,"

Companies producing modified foods are awaiting regulatory approval for several products, including genetically altered corn, tomatoes, potatoes and cotton. Some applications date back to 1996.

Genetically engineered foods are unpopular in Europe. A survey cited by the EU last year found a majority of Europeans see them as a health hazard, despite assurances from producers. Environmentalist groups say the new legislation would do little to allay concerns that biotech food may present potential health risks or harm the environment.

Such wariness is likely to prevent a sudden biotech boom in Europe. Under EU rules, all new biotech products will still need to be approved by each of the 15 EU governments.

France, Italy, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg and Greece have indicated they may require stricter safeguards before they back the release of new GM foods.

"Denmark is still determined that there must be no permission given for producing and marketing genetically modified organisms before we have reached joint European rules for monitoring and labelling," said Svend Auken, Denmark's minister of environment and energy, in Copenhagen.

Even in nations such as Britain, where the government has been more enthusiastic about the potential of GM goods, consumer concerns have led to supermarket chains pulling biotech products from their shelves.

Genetic engineering in agriculture involves splicing a gene from one organism, such as a bacterium, into a plant or animal to confer certain traits, such as drought tolerance or insect resistance in plants.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday approved the new rules that include stricter labelling and monitoring of genetically altered foods, feeds, seeds and pharmaceutical products.

The measures also include phasing out over eight years the implanting of antibiotics in plant genes, a practice that some say could cause allergic reaction in consumers, and setting up a public registry where consumers can trace genetically modified foods.

In the United States, genetically engineered varieties of soybeans and corn gained popularity among farmers in the late 1990s, and now are commonly found in US supermarkets. Genetically engineered wheat, fruit, vegetables, fish and livestock are in various stages of development. - Sapa-AP

- SAPA