The course of least resistance

OXFORD - Europe's virtual moratorium on commercial GM crop planting was maintained last week when the regulatory committee of member states ducked a decision on three applications to place modified products on the European market. The committee had been due to decide on whether to approve the sale of three modified crops, but postponed its decision for at least six months, arguing that it needed more time to assess additional information submitted by the companies.

Rapporteur countries Germany and Belgium submitted varieties of rapeseed modified to be gluphosinate tolerant, both developed by AgrEvo, the joint venture established by Hoechst AG and Schering AG and now part of Aventis Crop Science. Denmark submitted a glyphosate tolerant fodder beet, developed by Monsanto, Danisco and the AgrEvo unit Plant Genetic Systems NV. All three products have been approved as safe by EU scientists...