19. Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the decision reached at the Council of Environment Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 25 June regarding the development, production and sale of genetically modified foods. [89494]
§ Mr. MealeI am pleased to announce to the House that the Council reached political agreement on the amendment to Directive 90/220 on the deliberate release and marketing of genetically modified organisms. This directive does not include the approval for sale of genetically modified foods, but it does cover crops used in the production of foods.
I am confident that this will secure better protection for the environment and human health. Tightening of many of the core elements of the Directive and increasing transparency will help public confidence in the regulatory 127W regime, and establishing fixed time periods for the decision-making steps will provide more predictability for biotechnology research and industry.