Ray Burke
Question:146 Mr. R. Burke asked the Minister for the Environment the Government's response to proposals from the United States to export genetically modified maize to the EU. [2240/97]
Written Answers. - Genetically Modified Maize.
Council Directive 90/220/EEC regulates the marketing of genetically modified organisms within the EU. Approval to such marketing is in the first instance a matter for the competent national authority to whom a particular application is notified, subject to consultation with the competent authorities of other member states; this may involve a committee procedure.
Where national competent authorities throughout the EU do not agree in a particular case, determination of the application becomes a matter for the Council of Ministers on a proposal from the European Commission. Where the Council is unable to act in a specified case, the matter reverts to the Commission for decision.
In a recent case concerning the marketing of a particular genetically modified maize product from the United States, the Environment Council did not reach a conclusion as the majority of member states, including Ireland, voted against the proposal. Determination then became a matter for the Commission which granted consent to market the product on 18 December 1996.
As regards future proposals to market transgenic maize, within the EU, the products which may be involved, and the human health and environmental issues in each case, can vary considerably and will be subject to the assessment procedures described above. The Irish national competent authority for this purpose is the Environmental Protection Agency, acting under the Genetically Modified Organisms Regulations, 1994.