Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Genetically Modified Organisms.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2004

Tuesday, 23 March 2004

Ceisteanna (332)

Eamon Ryan

Ceist:

330 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children if a moratorium on the importation of genetically modified foods is still in existence here; the regulations governing the actions of retailers importing foods from the United States or other countries in this regard; and the regulations that are required for the labelling of foods, which may contain genetically modified ingredients from genetically modified plants. [8340/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

There is no moratorium on genetically modified foods in Ireland or the EU. The de facto moratorium in the EU on genetically modified organisms, GMOs, relates to the fact that since October 1998, no new GMOs have been authorised for release into the environment under Directive 90/220/EC, or as food under the novel food Regulation 285/97. The EU’s regulatory regime has since been updated to better address the challenges posed by modern biotechnology. Under EU rules, only authorised genetically modified foods, or foods containing ingredients thereof, can be imported and placed on the market. Ireland applies EU legislation on GM foods.

Several EU regulations, including 258/97, 1139/98, 49/2000 and 50/2000, govern the labelling of food products containing GMOs. These will be either amended or repealed by a new regulation on GM food and feed 1829/2003, which repeals 1139/98, 49/2000 and 50/2000. Regulation 1830/2003 stipulating traceability and labelling rules for GMOs and any derived food has also been adopted. These regulations become applicable in April of this year, and will require foods produced from GMOs to be labelled irrespective of whether DNA or protein of GM origin is present in the final product.

Consequently, highly refined or processed food such as starch, sugar and oil products which may not contain any detectable DNA or protein from the original GMO and until now did not require GM specific labelling, will require specific labelling if derived from GMOs. A traceability system will also be put in place to verify the GM origin of the food where DNA or protein is not detectable. Labels will have to indicate either "This product contains genetically modified organisms" or "... produced from genetically modified (name of organism)". Operators will have to comply with these new provisions on labelling from April 2004.

Trace levels of GMOs in conventional food and feed can and do arise during cultivation, harvest, transport and processing. This is not particular to GMOs but can occur in the production of food, feed and seed with the result that it is very difficult to achieve products that are 100% pure. Against this background, the EU's objective is to ensure legal certainty and establish certain thresholds above which conventional food and feed have to be labelled as consisting of, or containing, or being produced from a GMO.

Under current legislation the presence of GM material in conventional food does not have to be labelled if it is below 1% and if it can be shown to be adventitious and technically unavoidable. The EU has now revised this to a threshold of no higher than 0.9% that will apply from April of 2004.

The FSAI is the competent authority in Ireland for the enforcement of EU legislation regarding genetically modified foods. The FSAI carries out checks on the marketplace for compliance with the GM legislation and since 2000 has found that any GM ingredients found in foods were authorised and complied with GM labelling.

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