(BRUSSELS) - EU states on Wednesday failed to reach agreement on whether to authorise a new genetically modified potato.

Since July, the biotech industry has been awaiting an EU decision on an application by German chemicals giant BASF to approve the genetically modified (GMO) potato for use as animal feed.

However the proposal, which scientific experts from the 27 EU member states could not agree on, would also allow for a 0.9 percent tolerance for "adventitious presence" in the general food market.

That means the GMO potato could not be deliberately introduced into the human food chain but its accidental residual introduction could be tolerated.

After the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health returned "no definitive opinion" on the matter, the decision must now go up to EU ministerial level and if there is still no agreement within three months then the matter will fall back into the lap of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm

A dozen EU member states voted against authorising the GMO potato -- Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovenia -- thereby ruling out the qualified majority required.

Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and Portugal abstained in the vote.

The minority of countries in favour of authorising the potato were Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden,

If the decision is left by default to the Commission it will refer to the advise of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which found that it was "improbable" that the potato would harm human or animal health or the environment.

However, some environmental associations have criticised EFSA's findings and have warned that the potato has a gene resistant to certain antibiotics.

The potato was genetically engineered to produce more starch, which has industrial uses including making paper, glue or textiles.

But BASF wants to use the residue and skin in animal feed.

If it does get the green light it will be the first genetically modified product allowed since the end of a moratorium in 2004.

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