Brussels, 01/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's environment committee, which is chaired by Giovanni La Via, has come out against authorisation of the marketing for use in food and feed in the European Union of transgenic hybrid maize NK603 x T25.
The motion for objection was approved by a comfortable majority (40 votes to 26, with 3 abstentions). In the resolution which it adopted, the committee underlines that the current authorisation procedure for GM food and feed is not working well and all authorisations of such products should be suspended until it has been improved.
MEPs point out, too, that on 20 March herbicide glyphosate, to which NK603 x T25 maize confers tolerance (along with the herbicide glufosinate ammonium), was classified as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organisation. For the European Parliament to object, it must also confirm its opposition, which is not binding, but which, if that is the decision of Parliament, will give the European Commission cause for reflection, the committee hopes. “MEPs have rejected the European Commission's pro-GMO policy. They are quite clearly against the authorisation of genetically modified foods and feeds in the EU. Until a new democratic authorisation procedure is put in place, a moratorium must be put on all new authorisation”, commented Martin Häusling (Germany), Greens/EFA spokesperson on environmental issues. The draft resolution was put down by Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, Belgium), Guillaume Balas (S&D, France), Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, Ireland) and Eleonora Evi (EFDD, Italy). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)