Byrne promises tighter rules on GMOs

EU rules on labelling GM foods will be made stricter as soon as technology becomes available to detect smaller amounts of GM material in foods, according to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr David Byrne.

His commitment to tighter regulation when feasible comes as the supermarket group Tesco has significantly amended its recent instruction to growers not to grow crops on fields previously used for testing GM plants.

Responding to environmental interests who rejected the latest EU regulations as not being strict enough, Mr Byrne said it was not possible to detect genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the 0.1 per cent level sought by the European Parliament. Should that ability arise, the threshold would be lowered.

The new regulations maintain a 1 per cent threshold for GMO ingredients in food such as soya and corn, above which a product must be identified as GM.

Meanwhile, Tesco in Britain has indicated that crops could be grown on former GM test sites if there was "at least one year's separation", in spite of last week's stricter proposal. It has now said its advice to farmers "would be reviewed in the light of further scientific advice".

Tesco's initial advice to farmers was first signalled by Greenpeace. Tesco later implied it had been "bounced" into going public before the details were agreed.

The vast majority of scientists working in biotechnology said the measure was not justified scientifically. Rival supermarkets claimed Tesco had not removed GM ingredients from its own-brand products. Tesco then said it supported farm-scale trials of GM crops - the London Independent claimed this was after the intervention of "a furious Cabinet Office".

Plant scientist Prof Chris Leaver, of Oxford University, said the Tesco move was indicative of an increasing tendency of supermarkets to exaggerate consumer concerns. Taken to its logical conclusion, he said similar controls would have to be applied to organic farming as it uses the same toxin to control pests.

Prof Fergal O'Gara, the chairman of the EU scientific committee on GMOs (which adjudicates on commercial releases of GM foods), said he was surprised at the Tesco announcement. While it was up to the public to make its mind up on GM foods, there was no evidence of human health or environmental risks with current releases, said Prof O'Gara.

With GM products grown in the EU, the Tesco position did not stand up and was "not warranted" based on current scientific information.

Tesco Ireland declined to comment. It initially said the move was "a common-sense approach to take while the scientific evidence is being evaluated".

This was despite the instruction being almost irrelevant in the context of Irish growers, as under five acres in the Republic is being used for GM trials.

All GM crops here are destroyed after harvesting.