By Andrew Bounds and Thomas Escritt
Romania intends to join six other European Union members in banning
the only genetically modified crop approved for use in the bloc, its
environment minister said on Thursday, in a fresh blow to the biotechnology
industry.
Attila Korodi called for a moratorium on planting MON810, a corn
produced by Monsanto, the US company, and said his country?s bio-security
committee would start examining the possibility of a ban on April 15.

Romania, a major agricultural producer, was a big grower of GM crops
before it joined the EU last year.

Mr Korodi told the Financial Times a ban was likely as the committee
would examine studies used by Hungary and France to justify their recent
prohibition of MON810 because of its negative impact on the environment.

?If they say they have concerns, then we will ask the European
Commission for a temporary ban,? he said. ?We simply don?t know what its
environmental impact will be.?

Italy, Austria, Greece and Poland have also banned the
insect-resistant corn, claiming that the toxin it contains could be harmful
to other wildlife. However, the Commission, which regulates the market, has
yet to sanction their bans.

Stavros Dimas, the environment commissioner, has asked the European
Food Safety Authority for an expert evaluation of MON810 and recommended
that two similar products not be allowed on to the market because of
environmental concerns.

Polls have shown most Romanians do not want to eat GM food, in tune
with public attitudes in most EU countries.

Greenpeace, the environmental group, welcomed the news. ?The Romanian
people overwhelmingly reject this unsafe, unnecessary and unsustainable
technology. It is vital the ban is in place as soon as possible, so natural
crops can be safe from GM contamination before the sowing season starts,?
said Gabriel Paun of Greenpeace Romania.

Europabio, which represents biotech companies, said the concerns were
baseless and the bans would hurt farmers.

?The specific biotech maize has also been the subject of thorough
scientific reviews by scientific communities around the world and has
received positive approvals by the world?s most robust approval systems, as
well as EFSA,? it said in a statement.


[www.ft.com]