§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 April 2000,Official Report, column 502W, on Aventis T25 maize, what was the voluntary scheme under which the application was made; how the application was (a) processed and (b) determined; who were the animal feed experts who advised him on the safety of T25 GM maize for animal feed; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the application, together with copies of the correspondence relating to the animal feed application between himself, his advisers and the company. [119304]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 17 April 2000]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the voluntary scheme related to novel food safety assessment and was operated by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP). Although there was no equivalent scheme for novel animal feeds, the dossier of information was also considered by officials with expertise on animal feed matters. However, at this time, in the middle of 1996, the application from France under Council Directive 90/220/EEC for European Community marketing consent began to be considered. I am placing in the Library a copy of the advice from the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Plants. This explains, among other things, the animal feed issues considered prior to the granting of EC marketing consent for this crop. I am also placing in the Library copies of correspondence between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the applicant company culminating in the then Parliamentary Secretary's letter which was based on advice from the ACNFP.