Franken Foods: European governments can fine Syngenta, says EU spokesman

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GMW: European governments can fine Syngenta, says EU spokesman

 

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Mon, 11 Apr 2005 15:31:53 +0100

 

 

European governments can fine Syngenta, says EU spokesman

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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This Associated Press report covers pretty much the same ground as

Reuters but note:

 

" [EU spokesman Philip Tod] said the EU's head office had no powers to

fine Syngenta, but said national governments in Europe could do so. "

 

Syngenta has given us 4 years of negligence, followed by months of

silence, followed by a repeated refusal to provide the necessary data to

allow testing for the presence of the corn it has contaminated.

 

By its actions Syngenta has declared itself the enemy of consumers

everywhere and has shown its contempt not just for food safety but

even for

the power of national governments to regulate its actions.

 

It needs to be held to account for its actions.

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EU considers suspending U.S. corn gluten imports in biotech dispute

4/11/05

 

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) _ The European Union is considering suspending

imports of corn gluten animal feed from the United States after

shipments of an unauthorized genetically modified corn were sent to

the EU, a

spokesman said Monday.

 

The dispute concerns U.S. handling of a case involving a type of

biotech animal feed called Bt10 that Swiss agrochemicals company

Syngenta AG

inadvertently sold in the United States and exported to Europe without

approval.

 

EU spokesman Philip Tod said the EU would consider a temporary ban

after a meeting of European food safety experts Tuesday and a meeting

Monday between Syngenta's CEO Michael Pragnell and EU Health Commissioner

Markos Kypriano. He said the decision to suspend imports could depend on

Syngenta providing European authorities with a method for detecting

Bt-10.

 

Syngenta said last week it has reached a settlement with the U.S.

government over the inadvertent sale to farmers of Bt-10, which was

not been

approved by American or European regulators.

 

The company said in a statement that under the settlement reached with

the U.S. Agriculture Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, it would pay a fine of US$375,000 (euro270,000) and teach its

employees the importance of complying with all rules.

 

However, the EU has been annoyed that U.S. authorities allowed the

export of Bt-10 to Europe after it was mixed up with an authorized

biotech

Syngenta maize labeled Bt-11.

 

``We are extremely disappointed that a non-authorized GMO has entered

the European Union,'' Tod said. ``We demanded assurances that this would

not occur again.''

 

He said a ban could remain in place until the EU was given a means of

detecting Bt-10 or received assurances from Washington that feed

consignments were no longer contaminated.

 

The EU says around 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of BT10 seeds were imported

into Spain and France for research purposes, but were later destroyed.

About 1,000 tons of animal feed and food products such as oil and flour

containing the corn are thought to have entered the EU since 2001.

 

The case has underscored European concerns about biotech foods, coming

shortly after the EU relaxed restrictions on genetically modified

organisms.

 

Tod said U.S. imports of corn gluten feed reached about 3.5 million

tons a year, but he was unable to give a monetary value for them.

 

He said the EU's head office had no powers to fine Syngenta, but said

national governments in Europe could do so.

 

 

 

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