EU says U.S. rice should be tested for GM

All U.S. rice imports entering the European Union (EU) must be tested for the presence of illegal genetic-modified (GM) crops, the European Commission (EC) announced in Brussels on Thursday.

If the proposal is approved on Oct. 23 by food safety experts from the 25 EU member states, U.S. rice will have to be tested at EU entry ports at American expense.

The EU's executive insisted that testing is necessary following unsuccessful negotiations with the U.S. over a new "sampling and testing protocol" to ensure that American rice is GM-free.

The move follows the discovery over the last few months of batches of unauthorized GM strains LL601 in U.S.-exported rice, which has led the EU to tighten import requirements for U.S. rice.

The rice will also be tested for LL rice 62, another unauthorized GM rice which was recently found by the French authorities.

The mandatory testing would come on top of GM-free certification which the EU has imposed since August.

Although the U.S. government says LL601 poses no immediate risk to health, no biotech rice is allowed to be grown, sold or marketed on the territory of the EU's 25 countries.

Source: Xinhua