Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 542: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will immediately implement a ban on the importation of oilseed rape seed (details supplied) under Directive 2001/18/EC and under the biosafety protocol to the convention on biodiversity to protect farming and biodiversity against live genetically modified organism seeds inevitably contaminating related crops through seed dispersal, transportation, processing, horizontal gene transfer and pollen. [27854/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 543: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the importation of oilseed rape seed (details supplied) will make it difficult if not impossible to grow genetically modified free brassica crops including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale kohlrabi, mustard, oilseed rape and turnip due to irreversible genetically modified contamination of farmland here. [27855/05]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will implement the safeguard clause under EU Directive 2001/18/EC regrading the importation to this country of GT 73 oilseed rape seed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27933/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 542, 543 and 546 together.

The product in question, genetically modified oilseed rape GT73, was authorised by the European Commission on 31 August 2005 for importation into the European Community for use as animal feed and for industrial use.

Article 23 of Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council specifies the conditions under which the safeguard clause, prohibiting in a national territory a GMO approved for use in the EU, may be invoked. These conditions include the emergence of new or additional information made available since the date of the consent and affecting the environmental risk assessment or the reassessment of existing information on the basis of new or additional scientific knowledge which provide detailed grounds for considering that the product constitutes a risk to human health or the environment. Such conditions have not been fulfilled in relation to the product in question and, accordingly it would not be appropriate to seek to ban the importation of oilseed rape GT73.

I am also advised that oilseed rape imported into this country is processed prior to its importation by crushing, and its oil extracted. This minimises the possibility of live seed entering the environment.