AGRICULTURE Genetically modified crops
EU under pressure to speed up GM crop authorisations
By Zoë Casey - 30.10.2008 / 00:00 CET
Livestock farmers face feed shortages; US to increase cultivation of GM soyabeans.
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SOYABEANS Important for European livestock farmers. REUTERS
Fact file
New GM authorisations
The European Commission yesterday (29 October) authorised a strain of GM cotton. An application for authorisation of LL Cotton 25, manufactured by Bayer CropScience, was submitted for approval in 2005 and cleared by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2007. Member state experts (on 12 February) and the Council of Ministers (on 15 July) could not reach a qualified majority verdict either for or against the crop. Under the EU's authorisation rules for GM products, the Commission then had the power to authorise the cotton.
The Commission is expected to propose today (30 October) that a type of GM rapeseed should be submitted to the Council for approval. Rapeseed T25, also manufactured by Bayer CropScience, was first submitted for approval in 2005 and cleared by EFSA in March 2008. On 14 July, member state experts returned a verdict of ‘no opinion' on the T45 dossier.
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