EU says Austria did not follow EU rules on crop ban
[Why does Austria need to follow EU rules, when they answer to Greenpeace instead? Look in yesterday's story...they mention "Greenpeace" several times, but don't seem to care what the commission thinks. Government by terrorists is NOT a good thing! Dan]
(from YESTERDAY'S story)
The environmentalist group Greenpeace welcomed the move and urged other EU countries to follow suit.
''Member states are now doing what the Commission should also be doing: recalling the Bt-maize which has already been approved and planted in some member states,'' Greenpeace genetic engineering expert Benedikt Haerlin said in a statement.
''Greenpeace urges all EU governments to take swift and appropriate action now.''
(link to YESTERDAY'S story)
biz.yahoo.com
(TODAY'S story)
Friday May 28, 9:47 am Eastern Time
BRUSSELS, May 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday an Austrian ban on the planting of a genetically modified maize produced by U.S. agri-food giant Monsanto Co (NYSE:MTC - news) had been put in place without following the necessary EU rules.
''The only way they (the Austrian government) can do so is in accordance with EU procedures,'' Commission spokesman Peter Jorgenson told a news briefing, adding that the EU executive had only found out about the ban from Austrian press reports.
Austrian Consumer Protection Minister Barbara Prammer said in a statement on Thursday that she had banned the maize, known as Bt Maize MON-810, because of recent scientific studies that had shown the strain could kill butterflies.
But Jorgenson said the Austrian government should have notified the Brussels-based Commission and EU member states of its intention to ban the maize detailing the reasons why it thought such an embargo was necessary.
EU member states had the right to impose such unilateral bans for a period of three months provided they could come up with the appropriate scientific evidence, he added.
The Commission itself announced last week it was freezing the approval procedure for another strain of GM maize developed by U.S. company Pioneer Hi-Bred International (NYSE:PHB - news) following the publication of the same U.S. study referred to by Prammer.
The EU executive has also warned that similar products made by Monsanto and Switzerland's Novartis , already in use in Europe, might also be banned if EU scientists concluded they threatened the environment.
Austria banned imports of another GM crop made by Novartis in December 1996. Jorgenson, in answer to a question, said he was unaware of any meeting by EU scientists in Brussels on Friday to discuss Austria's decision to impose that ban.
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