[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Graham

Which has precisely *what* to do with the price of fish?

"Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna today hit out at retiring Irish EU Commissioner David Byrne for being more concerned with protecting the interests of multinational companies than the interests of consumers. Referring to today's decision by the European Commission to lift the ban on selling genetically modified sweetcorn in Europe, she said Mr Byrne has been central to development of the EU's policy on GMOs."

http://www.politics.ie/modules.php?n...ticle&sid=5130

That story only gave the Green MEP's side of the story.

I think the EU has actually done (or was doing) quite a good job of "protecting" us from GMOs - against stiff opposition from the US, & some EU member states (such as the UK).

It is because of the EU that there was an (almost) 6 year long moratorium on the approval of any new GM food, which acted as a de facto ban.

It is because of the EU that when GMOs actually are approved, they have to be properly labelled as such, to ensure consumers can make informed choices on purchasing them. (much to the chagrin of the US government - & others - & the biotech companies, as they do not want us to have that choice, as they know many people would be unwilling to buy any GM food or anything containing GM ingredients)

The Commission voted in favour of approving this particular GM sweetcorn after the governments of EU member states had failed to reach an agreement on it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...220460,00.html & http://www.guardian.co.uk/internatio...217227,00.html


Oh, & apparently the UK strongly wanted to give the go ahead, despite opposition from other EU members:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/env...p?story=461997

UK to fight European embargo on GM corn
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
09 November 2003

Britain will try to break a five-year Europe-wide moratorium on new GM foods tomorrow by attempting to give the go-ahead for a modified sweetcorn to be put on sale to shoppers. But The Independent on Sunday can reveal that an official report shows the corn has not been properly tested for safety.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe...p?story=475142

Europe split over safety of GM corn
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
21 December 2003

Britain is pressing for a genetically modified sweetcorn to be allowed into shops despite an official French report warning that people eating it could suffer "unforeseen effects", The Independent on Sunday can reveal. The report discloses that crucial safety tests, claiming to show the sweetcorn is safe, were in fact carried out on a different type of maize, grown to be fed to animals.

Originally Posted by Graham

Now if that's not a result of EU policy, what *IS* it the result of??

Some people think it may have been due to bullying of the EU by the US & other countries.

The US, Canadian, & Argentinian governments complained to the WTO about the EU's GM moratorium, as they believed it was an unscientific ban, & went against free trade & WTO rules etc.

IIRC, the US also threatened the EU with various things in retaliation, which could have sparked a trade war.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...220460,00.html

The timing of the announcement [approval of Bt-11 GM sweetcorn] was greeted with suspicion by anti-GM groups; they said the commission was ignoring public opinion and buckling to outside pressures. The deadline set by the World Trade Organisation for the EU to respond to complaints about the moratorium from the US, Canada and Argentina passed earlier this week.

"It shows how the commission and Europe are being bullied by the US and the WTO," said Sue Mayer of Greenwatch.

And besides, even though it has been approved by the EU...

Public opposition to GM foods means the approval will not trigger a flood of GM sweetcorn into British shops