Conflict looms over EU plans to label genetically modified foods imports

Stephen Castle /  London Independent 15jan01

In a climate of growing concern over food safety, the European Union is preparing to toughen its rules on genetically modified foods.

And unless the American food biotechnology company Monsanto goes through a stringent EU process of licensing, labelling and traceability, Brussels will prevent its GM wheat being imported.

Few subjects are more sensitive than food safety in Europe, where recent scares over mad cow disease and dioxin have panicked consumers.

For at least two years there has, in effect, been a moratorium on the licensing of any new genetically modified organisms (GMO) for release into the environment, leaving some 18 applications in the pending tray. In theory this will change by Easter when the revised directive 90/220 should be in place, imposing tougher conditions and a new regime to continue monitoring GM foods once they come on to the market. Under this system new "risk assessment" rules will be introduced to monitor scientific evidence.

All new GM plants and seeds approved for sale will have to apply for reapproval after 10 years, scrapping the permanent consent currently available. Any company wanting to export to the EU will need to comply, even if they are based in the United States. The new directive will not be the end of the regulations that Monsanto will have to match to sell genetically modified wheat. One of these is a directive to ensure "traceability" – ensuring that any product deemed to be out of step with European rules could be withdrawn. It will also ensure that food made from GM products can be identified.

More measures will enshrine rules on labelling, in effect ensuring that any product containing more than 1 per cent of GM materials will have to be labelled. This has already proved controversial in America, where producers of soya argue that crops inevitably get mixed up.

But a Brussels official said: "Food is not supposed to come into Europe unless it is labelled. If you send in soya which is conventionally grown, and it is partially contaminated, it is breaking the current legislation. It is possible to test for GM contamination and we have checks."

Groups such as Greenpeace are pressing for limits lower than 1 per cent , including zero tolerance of any trace of GMO substances that have not been licensed in the EU. A spokesman for the Greenpeace European unit said: "For American farmers it is better economic and market choice, if they want to export to Europe, not to produce GM food. European consumers do not even want meat produced from animals fed on GM feed."

Officials in Brussels say that if production of GM wheat goes ahead in America it could provoke a bitter transatlantic dispute. "It has been looming for years," said one.

source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/conflict150101.shtml 28jan01