www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

The European Commission will table a Decision imposing mandatory counter
testing for unauthorised GMOs in all imports of US long grain rice, at the
Standing Committee on the Food Chain October 2006.

The decision follows the lack of agreement by the US authorities to a
common sampling and testing protocol which would ensure a high level of
consistency and accuracy in the tests for the unauthorised GM rice LLRICE601
in consignments to the EU.

The measures are being taken in response to findings four weeks ago of
LLRICE601 in shipments of US long grain rice, despite the rice having been
certified as free from this unauthorised GMO.

On 4 October, the European Commission gave Commissioner Kyprianou the
mandate to introduce this counter testing, but to first allow 15 days to
seek agreement with the US on a common approach to sampling and testing.
However, despite extensive discussions between both sides, the Commission
and the USA were unable to agree on such a protocol.

US long grain rice imports will continue to be subject to the certification
requirements imposed when LL601 was first reported to be in US rice in
August (see IP/06/1120). Now in addition, under the draft Decision to be
presented to the Standing Committee on Monday, all consignments of US
long-grain rice will also be sampled and tested at the point of entry to the
EU by Member State authorities according to the EU testing protocol, which
will be referred to in the decision.

Responsibility for paying for this additional testing will lie with the
operators. The counter tests will also take into account the French
authorities? recent finding of another unauthorised GMO, LLRICE62, in US
rice, as the tests to be applied will also detect this GMO.

[europa.eu]

------------------------------------------
Posted to Phorum via PhorumMail