International

The Dutch national parliament today voted in favour of a proposal from SP Members of Parliament Krista van Velzen and Hugo Polderman to suspend any further approvals of genetically modified crops for the European market. The success of the SP resolution means that agriculture minister Gerda Verburg will be obliged to vote against the approval of a type of GM soya modified to make it immune to the weedkiller Monsanto 98788 at next week's meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture Minister. She has in the past refused to do this.

Earlier in the year the European Commission decided to refer three applications for market approval of genetically modified crops to the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA is, however, as yet not qualified to assess the long term environmental risks of GM crops and estimates that it will be two years before it can do so. In view of this, the SP Members of Parliament had called on the minister not to vote for a new market approval, but she refused to present the case for delay. Parliament's decision means that she will have no choice but to do so.