It may take longer than expected to assess pest-resistant genetically
modified (GMO) crops for use in France, the agriculture minister said.
"I cannot be absolutely sure how long it will take to carry out the
scientific evaluation," Michel Barnier told the farming publication Agra
Press.

"I cannot say today that everything will have been completed in
February," he added.

Last month, President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would suspend the
planting of pest-resistant GMO crops until an assessment on their use had
been carried out later this year or in early 2008 and a new GMO law had been
passed in France by the spring.

Barnier's comments drew a sharp response from the main maize
producers' group AGPM, worried the appraisal will not be completed before
the next sowing season.

"We want to know the rules of the game and to clarify the calendar so
maize sowings can proceed as expected in April 2008," AGPM head Christophe
Terrain told Reuters.

Jacques Pasquier, general secretary of the Confederation Paysanne, one
of the main farm unions, said it could take up to 18 months to carry out a
serious evaluation.

"It is highly probable that there will be no GMO plantings in France
next year," he told Reuters by telephone.

Sarkozy's actions could have an impact on the future use of the sole
GMO crop currently grown in France and the rest of the European Union -- a
maize variety reliant on the MON 810 technology developed by U.S. biotech
giant Monsanto.

French farmers who have used maize seeds incorporating MON 810
technology have cited greater protection against certain insects.

If France is able to offer scientific proof that the MON 810 is
harmful to either the environment or humans or if the assessment drags on
beyond March or April, farmers may have to revert to using conventional
non-GMO maize in 2008.

Only 22,000 hectares, or around 1.5 percent, of France's cultivated
land has been sown with GMO maize this year.

Several European Union countries have dug in their heels on use of MON
810 maize, including Hungary and Germany.

Unlike the United States, where GMO crops are widely used, resistance
is running high, especially among ordinary French consumers who fear the
potential impact on the nation's biodiversity and human health.

Analysts say France will have to provide solid evidence that GMO crops
like the MON-810 put either the environment or humans at risk to be able to
pursue with its suspension.

[www.reuters.com]