New potato marks end of EU's 12-year freeze on GM crops

Mar 2, 2010, 15:36 GMT

Brussels - The European Commission ended an unofficial 12- year-old freeze on approval of genetically modified (GM) products Tuesday by green-lighting cultivation of a potato developed by German agrochemical firm BASF.

The move is bound to spark controversy, with environmental groups decrying the risks associated with GMs and public opinion and scientific experts divided on the issue.

The commission also attracted criticism for its timing, moving before it presents new rules on the matter in the summer. Those are expected to leave the matter of GM authorizations to individual European Union governments.

Furthermore, Tuesday's decision - which also authorized the import of three types of GM maize for food and feed developed by United States-based Monsanto - was taken with a secretive written procedure, avoiding a full debate amongst the 27-strong college of EU commissioners.

But the man behind the proposal, Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli, roundly defended his actions.

'It is clear that there were no scientific issues that needed further assessment ... any delay in taking the decision would have been simply unjustified,' he told the press in Brussels.

Dalli stressed that the EU's food safety agency (EFSA) had confirmed its favourable opinion in June, and added that since EU member states twice failed to take a qualified majority decision on the BASF potato, the commission had to act.

'All the debates have been done, the arguments have been exhausted,' he said.

'I don't believe it is good governance to have new commissioners come in and drop what old commissioners have done,' he added, implying that the previous EU executive, which stepped down on February 9, had already decided to give the green light.

BASF's product, known as Amflora, has its starch content genetically increased to maximize its use for the production of paper - it is not intended for human or animal consumption.

However, environmental groups say the antibiotic resistance marker (ARM) genes it contains could contaminate the environment, posing a hazard to human health.

'Releasing BASF's GM potato into the environment could raise bacterial resistance to life-saving medicines, including drugs used for the treatment of tuberculosis,' a statement by Greenpeace warned.

Dalli said specific measures were in place to separate the GM potato from the food and feed chain, but added that 'some by-product of (Amflora-derived starch) could be used as feed'.

And EU officials admitted that rules allow for an 'accidental presence' of Amflora genes in non-GM food or feed containing up to 0.9 per cent of the gene.

Greenpeace urged EU national governments to resist the commission's decision by banning cultivation of the GM potato in their territories.

EU officials say this is possible, if member states justify the measure by presenting new scientific evidence against Amflora.

Austria, Germany, Hungary, Greece, France and Luxembourg have applied so-called safeguard measures to prevent cultivation of the Monsanto 810-type maize, which the commission green lighted back in 1998.

The EU executive tried to challenge Austria and Hungary over the decision, but was overruled by a majority vote of the EU agriculture ministers. Since then, it has not attempted again to have 'safeguard measures' lifted.