EFSA: No Scientific Evidence to Justify GM Maize Ban

Greece and Hungary, on separate cases, have forwarded to the European Commission (EC) a decision to provisionally prohibit the cultivation of the authorized genetically modified maize Mon810. The prohibition is based on the existing safeguard clause invoked under Article 23 of the EC directive on the deliberate release of GMOs into the environment (2001/18/EC). As a consequence, the EC requested the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) to determine whether there is any evidences that the placing on the market of MON810 seeds is likely to cause any adverse effects on human health and the environment.

The GMO Panel, having considered all relevant publications and information provided by the Greek and Hungarian authorities, concluded, that no new scientific evidence was presented that would invalidate the previous risk assessments of the GM maize. EFSA further said that the scientific evidence currently available does not sustain the arguments provided by Greece and Hungary and that cultivation of maize MON810 is unlikely to endanger human and animal health or the environment.

 For more information, read http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/Scientific_Opinion/gmo_op_ej757_greek_safeguard_clause_on_mon810_maize_en,0.pdf and http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/Scientific_Opinion/gmo_op_ej756_hungarian_safeguard_clause_on_mon810_maize_en.pdf