Brussels, 09/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - As we had already announced, EU farmers who are forced to destroy rape crops grown from seeds produced by the British company Advanta and contaminated by genetically modified organisms, will, despite everything, benefit from Community premiums. On Friday, the cereals management committee expressed support for the European Commission project in this connection. The surface payment will be made for rape which has been kept in normal conditions until flowering or until 30 June. Farmers may decide to re-seed destroyed areas but they will not be able to receive any other premium for the second crop.
Commenting on this decision, Commissioner Franz Fischler insisted on the fact that "farmers should not suffer financially from a situation they were not responsible for". The Commission spokesman's service specified that this is an ad hoc decision which is not intended to create a precedent.