New EU executive may speed rules on GM feed
Date: 17-Sep-99
Country: PORTUGAL
Jaime Pissarra, spokesman of Portugal's Association of Animal Feed
Compounders (IACA), said the establishment of a threshold had been
delayed by Belgium's dioxin-in-food crisis and a leadership vacuum in
Europe following the resignation of the last Commission in a fraud
scandal six months ago.
The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved Romano Prodi's European
Commission on Wednesday.
"If the dioxin problem had not arisen, the EU's position on GM content
in feed would be much more advanced," Pissarra said.
The EU is said to be readying a law that would define the maximum
allowable level of GM content in animal feed. EU regulations presently
require food containing detectable GM ingredients to be labelled, but no
threshold has been set.
Pissarra said participants in the debate had varying views on a
threshold, but two percent seemed to be a consensus figure.
"A threshold is needed that reassures consumers," he told Reuters. "Our
main concern is to provide safe products in which consumers are
confident."
