EU rules out go-ahead for GM crops before fall

The European Commission has ruled out a decision on new authorizations for genetically modified organisms (GMO's) until fall this year at the earliest.The statement follows concerns voiced by some member states that biotech firms might get the go-ahead to market or import GM crops before final European Union regulations on GMO's have been put in place.Some member states — the UK included — have yet to enshrine within national law EU regulations on GM food and feed, and the traceability and labelling of GM products. Legislation on this is due for a second reading in the UK Parliament in the next few months.Most EU members agree it would be unsatisfactory to allow GM commercialization to proceed before each individual country has finalized the details on these regulations.But the issue is clouded by the fact that some member states argue commercialization could already go ahead under an EU directive adopted in October last year. Directive 2001/18/EC provides for tougher legislation on the deliberate release of GMO's into the environment.During a debate this week at a meeting of the EU Environment Council in Brussels, several members demanded GMO commercialization be put on hold until the outstanding regulations have become law. Others argued the existing directive provides a sufficient legal framework to go ahead with new GMO authorizations.The controversy has hit the headlines again after it emerged that several biotech firms had requested a total of 19 new authorizations for GM crops — including maize, potato, oilseed rape, cotton and soybeans — from the EU within recent weeks. Some of these applications are to market new GM products for cultivation within the EU, others are to import GM material.The requests prompted newspaper reports in the UK that the Government was planning to sanction the use of GM crops without waiting for the results of farm-scale trials, or the outcome of a public debate on the ethics and safety of GM foods. The deadlines for both have recently been extended. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett agreed to let the debate run until September, in order to take account of the results of the trials due out in July.But the Royal Society, which will publish the trial results in one of its peer-reviewed journals, this week revealed it will be September at the earliest before it can print them.Biotech firms insist many of the new authorizations they have requested are simply old ones that, under EU rules, have had to be re-submitted to comply with the directive that came into effect last fall.Julian Little, spokesman for Bayer CropScience said the company was sticking to its pledge not to commercialize GMO's in the UK until the farm-scale evaluations are complete. This is despite the fact it has some products that could be ready for the market before then.He told The Scientist, "We have made it very clear on many occasions that there will be no commercialization of any GM varieties in the UK until the results of farm-scale trials have been released."Monsanto spokesman Tom McDermott insisted the EU-wide moratorium on GM crops is still in place. "We have said all along that we will monitor the position until new regulations are in place. We think it could be the end of this year before member states vote to approve GM products or not."But Sue Mayer of the pressure group Genewatch insists authorizations could go through within the next couple of months. "What's new is that these authorizations are now being actively considered and we could see, for the first time since 1998, marketing consent being given in Europe."

EU rules out go-ahead for GM crops before fall

Member states oppose new authorizations before final regulations are in place.

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