After many years of development, Golden Rice is still not on the market. Initially it was thought that the commercial cultivation of Golden Rice would start in 2012. However, in 2013 this plan was once again postponed for several years, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) coordinating the project admitted for the first time in public that crucial data for risk assessment were still missing.
Appeal to EU Commissioner Borg to withdraw the genetically engineered maize from the market
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Munich/Brussels
Testbiotech filed a complaint against the decision of the EU Commission to allow SmartStax in food and feed. In November 2013, the EU Commission allowed this maize to be imported into the EU. By filing the complaint, Testbiotech wants the EU Commission to withdraw market authorisation. According to EU regulations, the EU Commission has two months to respond. After due process of the complaint, it might be possible to forward the case to Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Munich, 31.12.2013 The results of a Testbiotech project on the uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered plants has been published in a review article in the international journal Environmental Sciences Europe. The article includes a global overview of regions and plant species that are being contaminated by genetically engineered plants. The authors of the report are calling for the precautionary principle to be strengthened and a ban on the release of genetically engineered organisms that cannot be removed from the environment.
The European Ombudsman has made a final judgement on the Testbiotech complaint about a conflict of interest at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The case concerns Mr. Harry Kuiper, who was chair of the GMO Expert Panel from 2003-2012. After inspecting the files at the offices of EFSA in Parma, the Ombudsman says they could not identify any conflict of interest in the period from 2009-2012. However, the most relevant period of time from 2003-2005 was excluded from detailed investigation.
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