Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of samples of rice from Chinese specialty stores that have been tested here since it has become known that an unauthorised genetically modified rice, known as Bt63, had been detected in products imported from China for sale in Chinese speciality stores in the UK, France and Germany; the date these tests were carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35912/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is the competent authority in Ireland for the enforcement of EU legislation regarding genetically modified (GM) foods. The FSAI has not yet taken samples of Chinese rice due to the absence of a validated test method for the detection of Bt63 rice. Once a validated test method is confirmed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), effective testing can then be undertaken.

In September the European Commission informed Member States of reports received from NGOs to the effect that a GM rice, Bt63, not authorised for use anywhere in the world, had been detected in products imported by Chinese specialty stores in the UK, France and Germany. However, the testing method used by the NGOs to detected Bt63 has yet to be validated by the JRC. The Commission requested further information on the rice products from the Chinese authorities and in the context of applying controls, asked the Ministry of Agriculture in China to provide control samples of Bt63 as a matter of urgency.

In a letter dated 27 October 2006, the Commission informed Member States that it had just received official replies from the Chinese authorities stating that the Ministry of Agriculture in China is working on the validation of the detection method for Bt63 rice; when the method is fully validated it will be provided to the JRC, together with standards and control samples, in order to help detection of GM rice. The Commission has indicated that similar emergency measures to those taken with the GM RICE LL 601 will be introduced if considered necessary based on information as it becomes available.