Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1309: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he abstained on a vote at the Council of Ministers on 20 December 2004 at which a proposal to authorise a genetically modified animal feed (details supplied) was rejected. [34245/04]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The European Commission's proposal to authorise the import into the European Community of genetically modified oilseed rape GT73 for use as animal feed and for processing has not been rejected by the Environment Council. At the Council of 20 December 2004, there was, under the qualified majority voting procedures, insufficient agreement to either accept or reject the Commission's proposal. Ireland was among a number of member states who abstained on the proposal. Our abstention had regard to the long-standing positive but precautionary approach to modern biotechnology endorsed by successive Governments; the favourable opinion available to me on the product from the Environmental Protection Agency as Irish competent authority for the purposes of the relevant Directive (2001/18/EC), following the agency's consultations with other relevant State agencies; the views of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Local Government; as well as the outcome of the earlier discussion of, and vote on, the product at the regulatory committee for the purposes of Directive 2001/18/EC.