Brussels, 13/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Once again, EU27 experts failed, on 12 December, to approve or to reject the European Commission's proposals aimed at marketing approval for varieties of genetically modified organisms (GMO). Under scrutiny were the MON 8771 soya product by Monsanto Europea SA, genetically modified to resist insects, and the soyabean product 356043 by Pioneer Overseas Corporation, which possesses two synthetic genes (gat4601 and gm-hra) conferring tolerance to different herbicides. The authorisation proposed was for importation and processing, human food and animal feed, and not for cultivation.
Member state representatives meeting at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), did not reach the qualified majority required for a decision. It will therefore be up to the appeals committee to take a stance. This committee - established by EC Regulation No182/2011 on the general rules and principles relating to member state control arrangements for the exercise of implementation competence by the Commission - will issue a qualified majority opinion. “Seeking a balanced solution”, the Commission is expected, as far as possible, to avoid going against a predominant position that could come out of the appeals committee, the regulation states.
The two Commission proposals were based on favourable scientific opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which had concluded after its scientific assessment of the potential risks, that both GMOs were as safe for health and the environment as traditional soyabean products. (AN/transl.jl)