MAIZE that has been genetically altered is being illegally imported into
Europe, according to the European Commission. Marius Enthoven, head of the
Commission鈥檚 environment arm, told member states late last month that, since the
beginning of October, 鈥�4000 to 5000 tonnes of maize have been entering the
community market every week鈥�.
Most of the maize comes from the US, where about 1 per cent of this year鈥檚
crop is a strain developed by the Swiss-based multinational firm Ciba-Geigy,
containing a bacterial gene for Bt, an insecticide. As American traders have not
been segregating the altered grain, 鈥渋t is to be expected鈥� that the imports
contain 鈥渘on-authorised Bt maize鈥�, Enthoven wrote to member states.
European Union approval for imports of Ciba-Geigy鈥檚 maize has been delayed
due to British fears that a gene in the plant that confers resistance to the
antibiotic ampicillin might jump to bacteria. A decision awaits the advice of
three scientific committees.
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