www.czu.cz ; www.usab-tm.ro ; www.raupp.info

The European Commission said it "deplores" the import of an unauthorised
genetically modified strain of maize from the US and said it has sent a
letter to the US authorities to identify the lapse in control, April 2005.

"Commissioner Markos Kyprianou (commissioner for health and consumer
protection) deplores the fact that a GMO that has not been authorised
through the EU's comprehensive legislative framework, nor by any other
countries framework, has been imported into the European Union," said a
spokesman for the commissioner.

Earlier this week, Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta admitted that some
Bt-10 maize seeds, an insect-resistant strain of maize in the US that was
not approved for distribution in the EU, had been exported to Europe from
the US.

"We have have written to the US authorities and to Syngenta requesting
clarification of the situation on Bt-10," said the spokesman. The commission
had previously sought to downplay the risks posed by Bt-10, saying it was
genetically the same as Bt-11 which is already approved in the EU.

[www.businessworld.ie]

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