Biotech Updates

Biotechnology: EU Commission for 0.1 Percent Tolerance in Feed Imports

November 5, 2010

EU livestock owners and exporters of genetically modified (GM) crops are hoping for the approval of the 0.1 percent tolerance to admixtures of feed imports. John Dalli, EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection has been recently rigged with warnings of a feed shortage in Europe if the zero tolerance is extended. Thus, he had announced this solution allowing 0.1 percent unapproved GMO to be present in the feeds imports.

The limitation of the directive to apply only to feeds caused controversy in the commission. GM food producing countries USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina have submitted warnings to the Commission that a "dividing line between food and feed" would lead to "insurmountable difficulties in agricultural trade, the report said. The Law on 0.1 percent tolerance will be effective in April 2011 upon the majority approval of the Commission.

For details, see the report at http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/news/544.docu.html