Brussels, 13/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - According to a report from the EU's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) published on Thursday 12 June 2008, “there is an adequate but disproportionate level of official control at the point of entry” of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Greece. EU experts visited Greece from 12-16 November 2007. They commented that “there is limited enforcement of the traceability and labelling requirements on the domestic market.”
The FVO recommends that the Greek authorities change Greek Ministerial Decision 553/2004 in order to ensure it is proportionate and based on risk. The decision sets 50% target controls on sampling and analysis of all cereal imports (including wheat, maize, barley, sorghum and oats) from outside the EU. “However, there are currently no commercialised GMO (some limited experimental production) varieties for most of these cereals”, explain the vets. Under the general obligations detailed in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) 882/2003 on official controls to ensure food and feed legislation is met, controls should be risk-based to achieve the objectives of the regulation, they add. (L.C./transl.fl)