SF raise Bt worry
Last month, Ireland was one of six countries voting in favour of allowing Bt-11 for sale.
Six other member states voted against, and three abstained.
Sinn Féin's Agriculture Spokesman, Martin Ferris, said the issue should be debated in the Dáil or at Committee level before the vote, because of its importance for agriculture and consumers.
There has been a de-facto moratorium in place since 1999 against the import and cultivation of GM products in the EU.
But next April, the EU will put into action a system to regulate GMOs by ensuring they are properly labelled and can be traced through the food chain.
Last week, the European Commission again approved proposals to allow Bt11 imports for food and feed but not cultivation in an apparent bid to encourage the GM industry in Europe.
Ministers in the EU 15 now have three months to decide on the fate of the biotech foodstuff.
Even if they say no, the Commission is likely to continue to push the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Commission has also agreed to submit a draft authorisation for the GM maize NK603 supplied by US biotech giant Monsanto. NK603 was recently given 'risk-clear' status from Europe's food watchdog, the European Food Safety Authority.
The Commission wants a decision on NK603 this month.
Although EU consumers generally oppose GM products, a brewer in Sweden looks like being first to use genetic modification as a marketing tool.
Kenth Persson's new beer is made from corn supplied by US biotech giant Monsanto which was genetically modified to resist attacks from pests. "It is truly exciting to imagine that our small brewery is the very first company in Sweden to launch a new genetically modified raw material for the food industry," said Persson. Development of the beer was financially supported by Monsanto.
Food industry leaders will watch sales of the GM beer with interest.
