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Genetically Modified Maize

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Caroline Flint) made the following Written Ministerial Statement on 28 October. The Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the European Union met on 24–25 October and voted on a proposal to authorise food ingredients derived from the genetically modified maize line MON863. As the vote did not result in the necessary majority either for or against the proposal, the regulatory committee procedure for implementing powers requires that the proposal is passed back to the European Commission to adopt the implementing act. The Government regret that it was necessary to vote on this authorisation, through a scrutiny override, before parliamentary scrutiny has been completed and before the debate recommended by the European Scrutiny Committee. The United Kingdom had previously supported this authorisation because there was adequate evidence that the necessary criteria for authorisation—namely; safety, consumer information and nutritional quality—had been met. In the absence of a clear majority among member states at that stage, the decision was later referred to the Council with a deadline of three months for a further vote. It is unfortunate that this period coincided with the Summer Recess and it was therefore not possible to complete the scrutiny process before the vote. I wrote to the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee on 20 October setting out this position. The Government are, none the less, fully committed to the need for national Parliaments to have proper oversight of EU issues and the subject of the authorisation of food ingredients from MON863 maize will be debated in European Standing Committee in due course.