Commission Midday Express, 10 February 2011

GMOs - Commission to transmit to Council proposals to authorise three GM maize and one GM cotton products for food and feed

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), Member States returned no definitive opinion, either for or against, on proposals tabled by the Commission concerning three applications on GM maize submitted by Syngenta Seeds S.A.S. (MIR604xGA21, Bt11xMIR604 and Bt11xMIR604xGA21) and an application on cotton product submitted by Dow AgroSciences Europe (281-24-236x3006-210-23).

The proposals - all for food and feed uses and import and processing - were tabled after favourable scientific assessments from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which addressed all safety concerns. EFSA concluded that there is no risk to human and animal health or to the environment. The EFSA opinions also addressed the questions raised by Member States during the risk assessment phase. As a result of yesterday's inconclusive votes, the Commission must now transmit the dossiers to the Council for a decision. If the Council does not reach a decision, the proposals will be sent back to the Commission for final adoption.