GM moratorium set for six months

10 March 2000



GM moratorium set for six months

THE EUs de facto moratorium on genetically modified crops looks set to stay in place for at least another six months after government representatives deferred a decision on three authorisations.

The European Commission said it would wait until later in the year before submitting the licence requests to member states.

It said this would give companies more time to provide clarification.

It will wait to see how these progress before deciding how to proceed with four more products, further advanced in the regulatory process, reports the Financial Times.

This will concern GM companies and the US, which believe European policymakers are influenced more by political considerations than science in their deliberations on GM crops.

Meanwhile, the EU threat to ban all imports of US meat was lifted when its standing veterinary committee approved measures by Washington to test meat for unauthorised substances.

EU vets had discovered that hormone-treated meat, which is banned by the EU, and hormone-free meat were getting mixed together in the US supply chain.

This decision paves the way for a possible agreement on US sanctions against the EU over its ban on hormone-treated beef.

• Europe could ban US meat, FWi,
  31 January 2000

• Financial Times 10/03/2000 page 12