Organisations to reconsider position on GM food debate

The 19 organisations which withdrew from a consultation process on genetically modified organisms - including GM foods - are reconsidering their position fol lowing the Minister for the Environment's announcement of independent evaluators of two national debates on the issue.

The process was set up by Mr Dempsey to inform national policy due to be established before the EU attempts to grapple with the controversy surrounding GM food regulation and labelling in June. But the NGOs, which are opposed to the way GM foods are being developed and commercialised, claimed the initial format was unbalanced.

Their spokeswoman, Ms Iva Pocock of Voice, yesterday accepted that an independent four-person panel to oversee the process was indicative of a willingness to change the format. "We are evaluating this, and considering if it's sufficient," she said.

A Genetic Concern spokesman, Mr Quentin Gargan, said there were some positive elements in it though he hoped "a panel of ordinary citizens" would judge the debate as had happened elsewhere.

He was also concerned that it was a departmental rather than Government process, as this week's Dail debate on GM foods had, in his opinion, exposed broad divergence between Departments.

The Minister had stressed that he was "acutely aware of the critical importance of independent management of the debate and of the value of having an independent report on the outcome".

Without setting any preconditions to the outcome, he repeated his commitment to "strong, effective precautionary legislation"; maximum transparency and the provision of full information as a basis for good public debate.

But the Green MEP, Ms Nuala Ahern, accused the Government of panic on GM food, indicated by the introduction of "yet another layer of bureaucracy".

She claimed an attempt had been made to "bounce" the 19 NGOs into an unbalanced system of consultation but, when that failed, the independent panel was added. This, she claimed, would drag out the process until after the European and local elections in June.