Written question asked by Paul Flynn (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 14 February 1997. It was answered by Baroness Browning (Conservative) on Friday, 14 February 1997 on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Question: Pursuant to his Answer of 6th February, Official Report, column 720W, if he will identify the risk associated with the use of Ciba Geigy's GM maize in an unprocessed form.

Answer: Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 720, if he will identify the risk associated with the use of Ciba-Geigy's genetically modified maize in an unprocessed form. [15634] Mrs. Browning: The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes considered that the presence of an antibiotic resistance marker gene with bacterial regulatory sequences in Ciba-Geigy's GM maize presented a small but finite risk of transfer of antibiotic resistance to bacteria in the rumen or gut of animals fed on the unprocessed material. The committee advised that, if transfer were to take place, it could compromise the use of ampicillin and related antibiotics in clinical and veterinary medicine. The three EC scientific committees discussed the ACNFP's concerns at length before concluding that the risk of transfer occurring was too small to justify banning imports of the GM maize into the Community.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 15634; 290 c320-1W
Session: 1996-97
Subjects: Animal feed Genetic engineering Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes Maize
Contains statistics: Yes