§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the European countries which have imposed an import ban on non-labelled Ciba Geigy's GM maize; and if he will make a statement. [17149]
§ Mrs. BrowningLuxembourg and Austria have both announced import bans on GM maize.
Such action is illegal under Community law unless new information showing a safety hazard can be produced that was not considered prior to the Community marketing authorisation being issued. No such information has been provided by either country to date and the Commission has therefore indicated its intention to take early action to force the removal of both bans.