GM:_Biotech_-_One_Step_Forward,_Two_Back

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> GMW:_Biotech_-_One_Step_Forward,_Two_Back

> " GM_WATCH " <info

> Wed, 25 Aug 2004 22:08:39 +0100

 

>

> GM WATCH daily

> http://www.gmwatch.org

> ---

> " The farce Bt-11 approval has given them (EU)

> breathing space. This whole approval issue has taken

> a step backward. It's a joke. "

>

> For more about:

> Truth About Trade

> http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=267

> AgbioView/AgBioWorld

> http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=106

> Kimball Nill

> http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=283

> American Soybean Association

> http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=10

> National Corn Growers Association

> http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=96

> ---

> Biotech: One Step Forward, Two Back

> by: Greg Lamp

> Source: AgBioView Newsletter (www.agbioworld.org)

> http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=2402

>

> What was heralded as a turning point for accepting

> biotech crops in the European Union (EU), now almost

> appears to be a farce. When the EU decided to allow

> imports of Syngenta's biotech Bt-11 sweet corn last

> spring, many breathed a sigh of relief. It was the

> first biotech approval in six years. Was the EU

> finally making strides to end its five-year

> moratorium on approval of new biotech crops?

>

> The U.S. had earlier asked the World Trade

> Organization (WTO) to force the EU to end its ban.

> The U.S. claims the EU policy violates global trade

> rules. The EU, of course, claims its not violating

> any trade laws.

>

> Have we been duped?

>

> Now, with the new Bt-11 sweet corn approval, it

> appears the EU, indeed, is following the rules. That

> is, unless you dig deeper. Syngenta submitted the

> regulatory dossier for Bt-11 sweet corn as food in

> the EU in Nov. 1998.

>

> According to WTO rules, says Kim Nill, technical

> issues director for the American Soybean

> Association, " If the EU approves one new biotech

> product, they're no longer considered to be blocking

> biotech's progress. " In this case, they (EU) knew

> Syngenta wasn't going to actively market sweet corn

> there, " he says.

>

> BT-11 is still being marketed here in the U.S., but

> very, very little is being exported, says Sarah

> Hull, Syngenta spokesperson. " It's not a

> commercially significant event (biotech product) for

> us in Europe, " she adds. " It did not have major

> financial implications for us - at all. "

>

> The fallout, then, is that the EU has as much as two

> to three more years before they'll have to fully

> approve another biotech product to remain in

> compliance with WTO rules, Nill explains. Since the

> EU approved the sweet corn, it essentially ends the

> offending action which ends the moratorium. " The

> farce Bt-11 approval has given them (EU) breathing

> space, " says Nill. " This whole approval issue has

> taken a step backward. It's a joke. "

>

> The EU regulatory system seems to be moving forward

> at a quicker pace, says Helen Inman, chair of the

> National Corn Growers Association Biotechnology

> Working Group and farmer from Bancroft, IA. " But, "

> she says, " we've been frustrated at the slowness of

> the process and have a long way to go before the

> moratorium on biotech products is effectively

> ended. "

>

> Currently, there are about 30 genetically engineered

> products and foods in the pipeline awaiting approval

> for import into the EU. " Even if they march forward

> at one every six months, it's just too slow, " says

> Nill. " The products are already outdated in the U.S.

> by the time they get through the approvals. "

>

> What makes the whole approval process even more

> frustrating is that once products are approved, they

> have a 10-year shelf life and then need to be

> renewed. " Since Roundup Ready crops were introduced

> in 1996, those products are up for renewal in 2006, "

> Nill says.

>

> Fair trade continues to be the issue here. Still,

> being an optimist, I'd like to think any forward

> movement is progress. Stay informed and support

> associations that work to get you a fair shake.

> ...

> Second Corn Approval

>

> At press time the EU was on its way to approving the

> second corn event, Monsanto's NK603 for feed and

> industrial use in the EU. NK603 cannot be marketed

> until the commission approves the application for

> food use, which could be delayed until October or

> November.

>