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European Commission to ram GM foods through
Green group slams lack of democracy or precaution


Brussels, 22 March 2005 - Friends of the Earth today attacked the European Commission for putting business interests before the safety of the public or the environment. The Commission's newly announced policy to force through genetically modified (GM) foods despite overwhelming public opposition, was described by the green group as "a bad day for consumers, democracy and the environment."

The new European Commission agreed today to:
- push through new approvals of GM foods regardless of the lack of consensus over their safety by EU member states
- submit to the Environment Council proposals to get countries to lift their bans on GM products
- approve GM crops for cultivation without proper (so called "coexistence") legislation to avoid the contamination of the countryside by GMOs

Friends of the Earth believes the Commission should have instead:
- Stopped all approvals in order to re-evaluate safety concerns raised by member states and the public
- Introduced EU legislation that would prevent contamination from fields of GM crops and ensure biotech companies are liable for any damage caused by their products
- Allow regions a say in whether GM crops should be grown

Adrian Bebb, GM campaigner for Friends of the Earth said:

" The European Commission is more interested in supporting big business then in food safety and the environment. Consumers don't want to eat genetically modified foods, regions across Europe want GM crops banned and member states refuse to support new applications. But this has all been ignored by the Commission. This is a bad day for consumers, democracy and the environment."

Key facts
* According to Eurobarometer 70% of the public don't want to eat GM foods
* 23 out of the 25 member states are against the growing of GM oilseed rape, Bayer does not want to proceed, but the Commission nevertheless wants to press ahead and has submitted it to a scientific panel for their opinion. (1)
* The final results of the world's largest experiments of GM crops were published in the UK yesterday showing that there were less bees and butterflies in the GM winter oilseed rape trialled than in non-GM fields. (2)
* A legal opinion published yesterday showed that the European Commission's policy on the coexistence of GM crops with conventional crops is "fundamentally flawed" and "wrong in law". (3)

Contact
Adrian Bebb, +49-1609 490 1163 (mobile)

Notes to editors
1. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/biotech_firm_rejects_gm_cr_18032005.html

2. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/gm_crop_trial_blow_to_biot_21032005.html

3. http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2005/UKpressrelease21march.doc

Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.