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PRESS NOTICE 23 March 2005
from GM Free Cymru

EC SLATED FOR 'INCREASINGLY BIZARRE' DECISIONS ON GMOs

The European Commission has been accused by environmental and consumer
groups of arrogance and "increasingly bizarre behaviour" over GM crops
and foods, following its meeting in Brussels yesterday.

It appears that the new Commission has now agreed (1):
* to proceed with pending authorisations of GM foods regardless of the
safety concerns of EU member states
* to confirm its satisfaction with the deeply flawed GMO assessment and
approval process, in spite of widespread criticism from NGOs and
member states
* to submit to the Environment Council proposals to force countries to
lift their bans on GM crops and products
* to approve GM crops for cultivation even before "coexistence"
legislation is fully in place
* to persist with its policy on arbitrary labelling thresholds in
spite of legal advice that these are unlawful
* to dismiss calls for the approvals process to be "frozen" until full
liability legislation is in place

Although the main components of the EC statement were leaked prior to
the meeting, NGOs based in Brussels are nonetheless surprised by the
arrogance of the Commission, and its failure to recognize any
inconsistencies or failings in its GM approvals process.

Speaking for GM Free Cymru, Dr Brian John said: "The EC is living in
cloud cuckoo land. It appears oblivious to the fact that more and
more European regions want "GM Free" status, that 70% of people in
Europe do not want to eat GM foods, that it cannot obtain majority
decisions from the member states for GM approvals, and that more and
more scientific concerns are coming to the surface about the safety of
GM crops and foods. There are no effective coexistence measures in
place across Europe, and GM crops are impossible to insure. Not even
the biotechnology multinationals appear to want to proceed with their
GM crops, and farmers do not want to grow them. That is all bizarre
enough, but now the Commission has also refused to accept Bayer's
withdrawal of its application for its GM oilseed rape to be grown in
Europe. That is not just eccentric -- it is simply crazy. The new
Commission has just started work -- and it appears already to have
taken leave of its senses."

GM Free Cymru has already accused the Commission of riding roughshod
over the legitimate views of consumers, and of playing politics with
the health of the people of Europe by fashioning its policies and its
decisions to suit the needs of the USA and the WTO. It has also
accused the Commission of arrogance in refusing to take seriously GM
health, safety and environmental concerns raised by independent
scientists.

The NGO has now made one further point. Dr John said: "The Commission
has backed the British Government's FSE research programme, which has
shown comprehensively that GMHT (herbicide tolerant) crops when grown
under commercial conditions do undoubtedly harm the environment. Such
crops are therefore illegal under EU law. And yet the Commission wants
to continue giving authorisations for them to be grown in the EU, to
allow them to be grown elsewhere (thereby harming other environments),
and finally to be imported as food and animal feed into the EU. The
illogicality and dishonesty of this position is quite staggering."

ENDS

Contact:
Dr Brian John
01239-820470

(1)
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/
355&format=HTML&aged=0&language=en&guiLanguage=en