The European Union's de facto moratorium on new approvals for the import or production of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods remains in place—for the meantime.
The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, meeting December 8, was unable to reach a decision on whether to authorize the import of GM corn produced by the Swiss company Syngenta and currently grown in the United States and elsewhere.
The committee was split 6–6, with three abstentions. Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK were all in favor of approval, while Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Luxembourg, and Portugal were opposed. Belgium, Germany, and Italy abstained.
This was the first test of the EU's new regulations on GM products. It was also the latest move in a trade disagreement between the European Union and the United States and some other countries that have submitted a complaint about the ...
