April 12, 2000 / The Associated Press/PA News/Reuters
STRASBOURG, France -- The European parliament on Wednesday was cited as
rejecting tougher conditions for growing and marketing genetically modified
foods in the 15-nation European Union.
The stories note that the Christian Democrats, as the biggest party in the
626-member assembly, used their voting weight to block the introduction of
"environmental liability rules" that would have held makers of genetically
modified food responsible for damaging the environment or public health.
The proposal was one of a series of measures put forward by the Greens to
curb the marketing of genetically modified foods.
The Greens party in the European Parliament termed the outcome a
"capitulation" to the commercial interests of the agro-food industry at the
expense of public health.
The parliament's vote is not final. The issues now go back to the EU
governments for another round of debate there.
The stories also note that a proposal to set up a public registry was
narrowly adopted. The registry will allow consumers to look up where a
genetically modified food was made and by whom.
The parliament vote came two days after EU rules on the labeling of
genetically modified products took effect, forcing food companies to label
products containing more than 1 percent of genetically modified foods.
Labour Euro MP David Bowe, was quoted as saying, "There was intense lobbying
and pressure from the bio-tech industry on Euro MPs and they have defeated
this move. The question now is: if the industry is not prepared to take
full responsibility for what it produces why should consumers have any faith
in these products? It is clear the industry is not yet willing to face up to
its duties if these GMOs go wrong."
The stories also say that Euro MPs backed calls for a total ban on GM foods
which are resistant to antibiotics and agreed to impose strict controls on the export of genetically
modified organisms beyond the European Union.
German MEP Hiltrut Breyer was quoted as saying, "The whole package is a
present to the industry because it will do nothing to reduce public mistrust
and will in fact increase the pressure for local initiatives to keep out
GMOs."
Greenpeace spokeswoman Ceri Lewis was quoted as saying, "It is a scandal
that the parliament failed to put the financial responsibility where it
belongs, on companies pushing these crops to market. Once GMOs are released
into the environment and are allowed to cross with wild relatives, the genes
are impossible to call back."
(posted without permission)
