Deirdre Clune
Question:95 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if genetically modified foods containing antibiotic resistant genes have been approved for use by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2046/99]
Written Answers. - Genetically Modified Organisms.
Regulation 258/97 concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients came into force in all member states on May 15 1997. Foods and food ingredients which have not been used for human consumption to a significant degree within the European Community as of May 15 1997, fall within the scope of this regulation. The regulation provides that novel foods and novel food ingredients intended for human consumption, including inter alia genetically modified food, must undergo a safety assessment and be officially authorised before being placed on the European market. It also contains provisions in certain instances for the labelling of novel foods and food ingredients.
My Department is the competent authority for this regulation in Ireland. The assessment of applications made under the novel food regulations is carried out by the Food Safety Auth ority of Ireland's GMO and novel foods sub-committee. To date, no application under the novel foods regulation has been made in Ireland but, the GMO and novel foods sub-committee has commented on applications that have been submitted by other member states. However, no application has, to date, been approved for placing on the market for human consumption in the EU.
My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, has responsibility for Directive 90/220 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. This directive covers the environmental risk assessment and release approval of all GMOs through both the research and development stage – so called field trials – as well as the placing of products containing GMOs on the market. The Environmental Protection Agency enforces this directive on behalf of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. Prior to the coming into force of Regulation 258/97, I understand that a Novartis maize containing a kanamycin resistant marker gene was authorised for human consumption under Directive 90/220.
Since Regulation 258/97 came into effect, no product can be placed on the market for human consumption without being assessed and approved under it.
The GMO sub-committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advises me on issues relating to the genetic modification of foodstuffs and affords a forum for the exchange of expert scientific opinion and advice on this new technology and its application to food. This committee has discussed the use of this kanamycin resistant gene and considers, in line with international scientific opinion, that this antibiotic is no longer clinically significant in human or veterinary medicine and considers the risk associated with the use of this marker gene to be vanishingly low to both the environment and to human health.