The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries
Regulation 1829/2003/EC on GM Food and Feed
5.22 A second Regulation which was formally adopted by the Council of Ministers in July 2003, is Regulation 1829/2003/EC on genetically modified food and feed.11 The new component which the Food and Feed Regulation introduces is a centralised authorisation procedure for GMOs used as food or animal feed. This means that those wishing to market GM crop in the EU need not request separate authorisations for the use of the crop as food or feed. A crop is either authorised for both uses, or for neither.12 The use of GMOs in animal feed did not previously require a specific authorisation procedure. The Regulation will thus have an impact on imported GM crops, which are predominantly used as feed for animals. In view advantage to those producers who offer non-GM crops. The labelling requirements for GM crops which are used as feed follow the Traceability and Labelling Regulation, outlined above. However, the Food and Feed Regulation exempts products such as milk and meat, obtained from animals fed on GM crops, from mandatory labelling.
Footnotes11 The Regulation replaces the authorisation for GM foods and food ingredients, which was previously covered by the Novel Food Regulation (EC) 258/97.
12 One of the reasons for this approach is to prevent controversies such as those caused by the Bt maize variety StarLinkTM. StarLinkTM, produced by the company Aventis, received regulatory approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be used as animal feed only. However, in 2000, traces of StarLinkTM were found in taco shells which were sold in supermarkets in the US.