BIOTECHNOLOGY: EU EXPERTS DIVIDED OVER SALES OF TRANSGENIC MAIZE BT 11.

Europe Agri, December, 2003

During the Committee meeting, only six countries (Spain, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland) were in favour of authorising Bt 11, six voted against (France, Austria, Luxembourg, Denmark, Portugal and Greece) and three others abstained (Germany, Belgium and Italy).

A decision on whether to authorise the sale of Bt 11 sweetcorn in the European Union is now in the hands of the EU Council of Ministers, which will have three months to make up its mind once it has received the Commissions proposal. If it fails to do so, the dossier will come back to the Commission. According to the office of the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, a vote by the Council of Ministers could be forthcoming as early as January 2004,...

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