By Jeremy Smith
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union took a step closer on Tuesday toward 10 more years of biotech cultivation after leading scientists reconfirmed the safety of the only genetically modified crop as yet commercially grown in Europe.
That crop is an insect-resistant maize type developed and marketed by U.S. company Monsanto, approved for a decade of growing in 1998 and now awaiting license renewal.
Scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), based in the Italian city of Parma, said the maize, known by its codenumber MON 810, was "as safe as its conventional counterpart with respect to potential effects on human and animal health."
It also said MON 810 maize was "unlikely to have any adverse effect on the environment in the context of its intended uses." Those intended uses include seed for cultivation.
EFSA's long-awaited opinion is significant since it provides the basis for EU regulators to begin the process of renewing the standard 10-year authorization for growing the GM maize, banned in six EU countries on environment and health concerns.
France, the EU's cereals powerhouse, banned cultivation of MON 810 maize in February 2008. But its ban is conditional on the EU renewing its approval, which expired in April 2008. If the renewal is granted, as is likely, France's ban will lapse.
The European Commission, which administers and monitors EU biotech policy for the bloc's member states, has said it will use the EFSA opinion as the basis for any authorization renewal.
So far, the timing for this is far from clear -- but during the renewal process, MON 810 may still be grown in EU fields.
"The Commission will consider the opinion carefully before deciding on the next steps," Commission environment spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich said.
SACK EU AGENCY SCIENTISTS, GREENS SAY
Monsanto, which reacted jubilantly late on Monday via its website to the EFSA opinion even before it was published, hailed it as an "exciting milestone for European farmers."
"These announcements from the European Union demonstrate a strong commitment to science-based decision-making to allow farmers to choose biotech crops for their farms," Jerry Hjelle, regulatory lead for Monsanto, said on the website.
But green groups said EFSA was riding roughshod over the concerns of national EU scientists, especially after EU environment ministers called in December for a review of EU approval laws and better, longer-term safety assessments.
"Allowing EFSA to express opinions on GM crops while it cannot assess long-term environmental impacts is like allowing someone into a Formula 1 race just because they have a driving license," said Marco Contiero, GMO policy director at Greenpeace's European office in Brussels.
"The green light should not be given for this crop to continue to be grown in Europe," said Helen Holder, GMO campaign coordinator at Friends of the Earth Europe. "It's time to sack the EFSA scientists, disband its GMO panel and move GMO risk assessment to a truly independent and effective body," she said.
(Additional reporting by Julien Toyer, editing by Anthony Barker)
