Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted to allow individual countries within the EU to ban the cultivation of genetically modified food crops on their soil, even if the EU has already approved them for wider cultivation.
The European Commission will now make the final decision on whether
to allow three new GM maize's onto the EU market after agricultural
ministers failed to reach a majority vote in Brussels yesterday.
The EC's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has
now discussed the possible illegal GM contamination of long grain
rice imports from the US.
Scientific experts from European Union member states yesterday met
with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to discuss ways to
strengthen scientific co-operation in the risk assessment of GMOs.
The European Commission has rejected a notification by Cyprus that
required genetically modified foods to be displayed separately from
non-GM foods in supermarkets.
On the eve of his move to Parma in Italy, to head up Europe's first
food risk agency, Geoffrey Podger affirms the authority has already
cleared the first hurdle, independence, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Plans for EU sugar reform are unfair and would only benefit the
biggest producers, say 10 member states as new discussions split
opinions across Europe,reports Chris Mercer.