One of the European Parliament's most powerful committees has called for a moratorium on commercial growing of new forms of genetically modified (GM) crops, pending further research on their safety. This position is in conflict with the European Commission.
The environment committee is advocating a ban on "new market releases of genetically engineered foods until scientific uncertainties and risk assessment deficiencies" have been addressed. According to the committee, this could be done under the Commission's review of the controversial 90/220 Directive on GM foods and approval regulations.
The committee's chairman, British Labour MEP Mr Ken Collins, is to advise the Commission a GM maize application by Pioneer Seeds should be refused, and it should withdraw from legal action against Austria and Luxembourg over their bans on Novartis maize.
Genetic Concern welcomed the committee's stance, and said it should be placed in the context of other events, including the decision of the EU's expert committee on plants to reject authorisation of a GM potato strain, and publication by Greenpeace of evidence showing GM maize can cross-pollinate with conventional maize. This has worried organic farmers.
Meanwhile, the latest edition of the Ecologist, the flagship publication of the radical green movement for 30 years, has finally been published despite a decision by its long-standing printers to pulp all 14,000 copies last month. The edition on biotechnology and in particular the US multinational Monsanto was reprinted by another company.
A printing company in Cornwall destroyed the September print run. Although it refused to comment on its decision, it was reported that it feared leaving itself open to a possible libel action.
Mr Zac Goldsmith, co-editor and son of the late Sir James Goldsmith, had expressed shock about the decision. His uncle, Mr Teddy Goldsmith, an outspoken figure on environmental issues, funds the magazine.
A Monsanto spokesman said he was mystified by the printers' action and said his company had nothing to do with it. The edition opens with a letter to Monsanto chief executive Mr Bob Shapiro. The editorial accuses Monsanto of working against sustainable agriculture by undermining the annual saving and improving of locally adapted seeds, and of having a hard time accommodating the views of its critics.
Among the issues examined are recent injunctions against the "GenetiX snowball" movement in the UK, which symbolically pulled up GM test plants as a protest and has been subjected to blanket injunctions banning its activities against Monsanto.
Monsanto's woes continued this week with the company's merger with the giant American Home Products corporation being dramatically abandoned at the last moment, which led to Monsanto shares getting a being hammered in the US.
