Brussels, 15/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Once again, EU member state representatives failed, on 15 November, to take a stance either for or against marketing authorisation for two GM soybean products - two varieties of genetically modified soya not intended for cultivation but as human and animal feed. EU27 experts meeting within the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) were unable to reach the qualified majority required for either approval or rejection of the European Commission's proposal aimed at authorising soya A5547-127 by Bayer CropScience AG and renewing the authorisation for soya 50-3.3 by Monsanto.
It will therefore be up to the appeals committee to take a stance. The panel, established by Regulation EC No182/2011 to establish the general rules and principles relating to member state arrangements for controlling Commission implementation competence, will issue an opinion by qualified majority. Seeking a balanced solution, the Commission is expected, as far as possible, to avoid running counter to a predominant position that could be reached in the appeals committee, the regulation states.
The European Commission had based its proposals for authorisation and renewal of authorisation on the favourable scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for each of the above GMOs. In both cases, after scientific evaluation of data provided by the companies in question, EFSA concluded that the genetically modified soya seeds were as safe for human health, animal health and the environment as traditional soya grains. (AN/transl.jl)