EU farm ministers refuse to okay new GM maize strains

(LUXEMBOURG) - European Union farm ministers refused to give their seal of approval on Monday to plans to allow the import of genetically-modified maize from US growers, diplomats said.

During a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers in Luxembourg dominated by crisis in the dairy sector, nations were unable to agree on proposals to greenlight the latest batch of so-called 'Frankenstein foods.'

Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel sought the go-ahead for two strains of corn produced by Monsanto and another by rivals Pioneer to be cleared for import by European firms.

Several sources told AFP that the decision would ultimately be left up to the commission itself, because if no agreement can be reached by the ministers Brussels will have free rein to choose.

Fischer Boel argued that a shortage of soya for animal feedstuffs and over-reliance on US exporters meant the EU had to get over old fears about new products.

She slammed regulations that meant one large shipment of soya was turned back from EU borders this summer because traces of unauthorised GM maize, that she said were harmless, were found in its containers.

"We have to rely on science and not on emotions," said Fischer Boel. "The commission will take a clear decision and that will be a yes," she vowed.

Only a handful of genetically modified crops have been approved for cultivation in the European Union, but of them only Monsanto's MON810 maize, approved in 1998, is so far being grown.

The MON810 case has become a source of transatlantic friction. The United States has warned Europe against using environmental issues as an excuse for protectionism.

Six European countries -- Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg -- had adopted safeguard clauses to ban its cultivation on their territory.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council