WRITTEN QUESTION No. 13/98 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Unauthorized release of Monsanto sugar beet in the Netherlands (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)
Date: 1998-01-29
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: Netherlands, animal nutrition, food contamination, genetically modified organism, health control, marketing, marketing restriction, public health, sugar beet, testing













EUR-Lex - 91998E0013(01) - EN






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91998E0013(01)

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 13/98 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Unauthorized release of Monsanto sugar beet in the Netherlands (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)  


Official Journal C 386 , 11/12/1998 P. 0002 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0013/98by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission(29 January 1998)Subject: Unauthorized release of Monsanto sugar beet in the NetherlandsThere are reports that two tons of sugar beet from field trials in the Netherlands, which had not been approved for marketing for any purpose, were mixed with conventional crops and entered the food chain as refined sugar via the Dutch Co-operative Sugar Company. The pulp has reportedly been used for animal feed.Can the Commission explain:1. How this unauthorized release happened?2. What checks and controls were in place and how they were breached?3. What emergency measures have been taken to retrieve the contaminated sugar supply and the pulp and whether these corresponded with the emergency response plans contained in the consent application?4. What warning notices have been given to food processors, retailers and animal feedstuff suppliers?5. Whether any other such unapproved releases have been reported by any Member State?6. What new controls the Commission will recommend to avoid a repetition of such unauthorized releases?Supplementary answergiven by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission(27 April 1998)The Commission is now in a position to provide the following information:1. to 4. The Commission has enquired from the Dutch authority what action they have taken in the matter of sugar derived from a field trial of genetically modified sugar beet entering the food chain with the pulp being used as animal feed. The release in question had a consent for research and development purposes, but not for placing on the market under Directive 90/220/EEC of 23 April 1990 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)(1).The Commission is forwarding directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat the information submitted to the Dutch authority under Council Directive 90/220/EEC as a follow up to a provisional reply provided by the Commission.5. The Commission has so far not received any reports of any other such incidents from the Member States.6. The operation of part B of Directive 90/220/EEC which concerns research and development of GMOs is under the competence of the Member States to decide whether they need to institute any new controls to avoid similar incidents occurring during research and development releases of GMOs. The action taken by the Dutch authority and other authorities where control measures have been applied illustrates the importance that Member States attach to their obligations under Article 4 of Directive 90/220/EEC which requires them to carry out inspection and control measures.(1) OJ L 117, 8.5.1990.