Europe debates tougher rules for genetically modified food

CONSTANT BRAND / AP 13feb01

STRASBOURG, France -- The European Union's parliament debated tougher rules over genetically modified foods Tuesday, a day ahead of a vote that could lead to the end of an EU moratorium on the licensing of new biotech products.

The 626-member European Parliament is expected to approve proposals that include stricter labeling and monitoring of genetically altered foods, feeds, seeds and pharmaceuticals and the creation of a public registry allowing consumers to trace the products.

``We have in front of us the toughest genetically modified legislation in the world,'' said David Bowe, a British Socialist member who presented the bill.

He said the bill would mark ``the beginning of the end of the moratorium'' on genetically modified foods and called it ``essential to ensure the building of public confidence in these products.''

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 practice is highly unpopular in Europe. A survey cited by the European Commission last year found 66 percent of Europeans saw them as a health hazard. However, 81 percent said they wanted more information about the risks, if any.

Despite opposition from environmental activists, even the Green faction was unlikely to vote against the proposal Wednesday. Green leader Paul Lannoye said it was flawed but would mark ``a step forward,'' and that the faction would probably abstain.

If supported by the European Parliament, the proposals must still be approved by national governments and parliaments in the 15-memeber European Union. That is expected to take at least 18 months, during which the de-facto moratorium on new licensing would remain in place.

The EU has approved 18 genetically altered products to date, but for almost three years European governments have stopped granting licenses in the face of public health and environment concerns.

Some critics of the proposals say the EU is preparing the ground for a fast-track approval of the products under pressure from the United States, where many exporters of genetically modified foods are based.

In the United States, the government considers gene-altered crops to be essentially the same as those produced by conventional breeding methods and thus not subject to the tighter regulatory controls for food additives. But critics hold that too little is known about the health and environmental effects of biotech products.