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

The Regulatory Committee set up under Directive 2001/18/EC and composed of
representatives of the Member States voted on 4 December on a proposal from
the European Commission to authorise the placing on the EU market of a new
GM starch potato for cultivation and industrial processing. As the Committee
failed to act, the Commission is now required to transmit the dossier to the
Council. If after three months the Council does not reach a position, the
proposal comes back to the Commission for final adoption. The GM potato
(Solanum tuberosum L. line EH92-527-1) has been genetically modified by BASF
for enhanced content of the amylopectin component of starch. The
Commission's proposal aims to authorise it for cultivation and industrial
starch production - and not for use as food or feed. As it has been modified
for increased starch content, it does not produce a toxin to insect pests or
non-target organisms. Also, the plant will not produce pollen or seeds for
dissemination. The Commission's proposal follows the positive opinion of the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that the GM potato was
as safe as conventional potato and unlikely to produce adverse effects to
human health or the environment.

www.ec.europa.eu

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