Commission Midday Express, 4 December 2008
The European Commission adopted today a Decision authorising GM soybean MON89788, also known as "Roundup Ready 2" soybean, for import and processing and food and feed uses. The Commission adopted the decision following an application submitted by the food biotechnology company Monsanto and a favourable scientific assessment from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which addressed all safety concerns. EFSA concluded that there is no risk to human or animal health or to the environment. MON89788 soybean underwent the full authorisation procedure set out in the EU legislation. As Member States failed to return a qualified-majority decision for or against this authorisation in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), and then in the Council, the dossier was sent back to the Commission for decision. The authorisation is valid for 10 years, and any products produced from this GM soybean will be subject to the EU's strict labelling and traceability rules. For more information, see: http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/biotechnology/index_en.htm