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Friends of the Earth Europe welcomes tougher controls on US rice imports

Brussels, 19th October - Friends of the Earth Europe has welcomed the European Commission's proposals announced today that all rice imports from the United States should be tested for genetically modified material before they are allowed into the EU.

Reacting to the European Commission's statement today [1], Adrian Bebb from Friends of Earth Europe said,
"Friends of the Earth Europe welcomes the move by the European Commission to propose tougher controls against imports of contaminated rice from the US. This is absolutely necessary since there have now been almost eighty cases of contamination across Europe in the past six weeks." [2]

But the environmental campaign group has warned that contamination with genetically modified material is likely wherever outdoor experimental trials are conducted. Indeed, rice products imported from China have already been found to be contaminated with an illegal genetically modified variant. [3] Friends of the Earth Europe has demanded that the new strict protocols are extended to all crops imported from countries that test genetically modified crops outdoors.

"Compulsory testing of all foods imported from countries that experiment with genetically modified crops outdoors should urgently be introduced. This includes imports from China. Chinese rice has already been shown to be contaminated, although the European Commission has so far failed to take action and prioritises its trading relationship with China over protecting consumers," Mr Bebb added.

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For more information, please contact:
Rosemary Hall, Communications Officer at Friends of the Earth Europe:
Tel:+32 25 42 61 05, Mobile: +32 485 930515, Email: rosemary.hall@foeeurope.org
Adrian Bebb, GM Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe :
Tel :+49 802 599 1951, Mobile : +49 1609 4901163, Email : adrian.bebb@foeeurope.org

Notes :

[1] European Commission press release
[2] http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/rice_contamination.htm
[3] http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2006/AB_5_Sept_China_rice.html

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.

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