European Parliament approves GM regulation

Members of the European Parliament approved new rules governing the production of genetically modified (GM) foods last week, by 338 votes to 52. The decision could mark the end of a two year moratorium on the introduction of new GM products into the European Union. However, six of the EU's fifteen member states want the ban to remain in place, pending stricter controls.

The new regulations state that biotech firms wanting a licence to plant new GM crops in Europe must first produce evidence of stringent safety tests. But France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg are awaiting further directives governing the labelling of GM ingredients, and on making firms liable for any environmental damage caused by new crops.

Meanwhile, a panel of scientific experts in Canada has also called for tighter controls on GM food, reports last week's Nature. The Royal Society of Canada has recommended that approval of new genetically altered organisms should be based on 'rigorous scientific assessment of their potential for causing harm'. Co-chair Conrad Brunk says the recommendations are not very different from recent statements made in the US and the EU on the safety of GM foods.