Brussels 02/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - A new offensive has been launched against the European Commission's intention to soon authorise genetically modified maize TC 1507 by Pioneer-Dupont, despite the political opposition over 19 EU member states (see EUROPE 11022). In a letter to European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg on Monday 2 June, the Testbiotech organisation (Institute for Independent Impact Assessment in Biotechnology - Institut pour des évaluations d'impact indépendante dans le domaine des biotechnologies) repeats its call to stop the planned authorisation of this transgenic maize. It believes that the health and environmental risks have not been correctly evaluated.
It is challenging a statement by the European Food Safety Authority in response to two critical reports from Testbiotech. According to the NGO, this statement is far from convincing because it does not invalidate two crucial points raised by the NGO. Testbiotech believes that EFSA is mainly concerned about defending its own risk evaluation but has not provided any kind of proof to counter the argument that there is a substantial lack of relevant or sufficiently reliable data.
The letter addressed to the commissioner emphasises that, “given that the regulatory framework of the EU places so much emphasis on the precautionary principle, the EU Commission has to reject the EFSA statement and suspend market authorisation of maize 1507”.
In this press release, Christoph Then states that, “after analysing the EFSA statement, it is evident that the existing data are not sufficient to exclude risks for human health and the environment. On the contrary, some of the knowledge gaps are becoming even more evident. Commissioner Tonio Borg now has to show that he is able to provide a high level of safety standards requested by EU regulations”.
The Testbiotech reports sent to the European Commission and EFSA focus on the shortcomings in the risk assessment and a lack of reliable data. Requested by the Commission (DG SANCO) to examine the scientific basis of these reports, EFSA states that it “did not identify new scientific elements necessitating the revision of the previous conclusions on the safety of maize 1507 made by its Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (DMO Panel)”. For further information, go to: http://www.testbiotech.org/node/1055 (AN)