Brussels, 14/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), on 12 November, the genetically modified maize by Monsanto, MON 803 (Zea mays L) is as safe as any traditional maize. EFSA rejected the latest scientific arguments put forward by Austria to justify a three-year extension to the national safeguard measure prohibiting the placing on the market of MON 863 in Austria. The maize is authorised in the EU for food and feed, but not for cultivation.
On 13 March this year, the European Commission asked EFSA to come to a position on the new scientific information provided by Austria in November 2012 to justify its decision to extend the national ban on the marketing of the GMO in that country. This has now been done.
In an opinion drafted by the EFSA panel on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the scientific experts state that, in light of the new data and of all relevant scientific publications to date, these were not of a kind to convince EFSA that it should amend the 2004 and 2009 opinions in favour of marketing authorisation approval for that GMO, or that it should amend the opinion in favour of renewing the authorisation of March 2010.
EFSA has always considered that the GMO in question did not present risks either for human or animal health, or for the environment. Austrian concerns mainly relate to shortcomings in the toxicological risk assessment of maize MON 863 and to the possibility of cross-transfer of the nptII gene from that GMO.
In November 2012, Austria informed the Commission of its measure extending its safeguard clause by three years. The marketing of maize MON 863 for food and feed was authorised by the Commission in August 2005 (Decision 2005/608/EC of 08/08/2005), despite the opposition of 14 member states.
At the time, the Commission's approval raised a hue and cry among many opposed to this controversial GMO due to the negative effects observed on the health of rats fed with it. MON 863 has been genetically modified to resist the corn root chrysomele and certain parasites such as Lepidoptera. (AN/transl.jl)