Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 156: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the steps he is taking to protect the industry against the threat of adventitious presence in feed imports from non-EU approved events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19646/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The lack of synchronisation in the authorisation process for the marketing of GM crops employed in the US and in the EU can result in the adventitious or accidental presence of unauthorised GM events in imported animal feed because the GM event, although authorised in the US, is not yet authorised in the EU. The Commission are conscious of the anxiety and difficulties this situation is causing in the Irish and EU feed trade. They have recently referred to the requirement to introduce appropriate tolerance levels for GM events not yet authorised in the EU but authorised in other jurisdictions and to expedite their authorisation process. In the meantime my Department has in place a risk based sampling programme to protect the industry against the threat of adventitious presence in feed imports from non-EU approved events.