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GMO potato ‘Amflora’ cannot be used for human consumption !

Europatat, the European Union of the Potato Trade, has taken notice of the Commission’s decision of 2 March 2010 to authorise – under the current legislative framework  decided by the Council and the European Parliament and after a double scientific safety assessment by Europe’s food safety agency EFSA – the cultivation of the GMO potato Amflora in the EU for industrial use and the use of Amflora's starch by-products as feed.

The usage of this potato variety in the individual member states will depend on the decision by the national authorities to allow the cultivation of this GM crop on their territory.

Europatat is clarifying that the Commission’s decision to authorise the cultivation of this GMO potato variety owned by BASF, which is referring to the ‘industrial usage’ of the potato, includes the exclusive usage of this potato in the starch potato industry and this only for non food applications (e.g. paper industry).

This means in practise that this decision excludes the usage of this GMO potato variety in the production or trade of consumption potatoes grown by EU producers, or potato products produced by EU companies processing potatoes for human consumption.

The European potato trade ais confirming through its industry association Europatat, that its members and companies will respect this legal requirement in their production processes.

Position of DG SANCO on the control of imports into the EU of Egyptian ware potatoes

Since 1996, Community emergency measures are in place for Egyptian potatoes exported to the European Union (EU) because of multiple interceptions of the brown rot bacterium,Ralstonia (Pseudomonas) solanacearum. These measures lay down an intensive inspection regime and stipulate that an import ban for all potato exports from Egypt is imposed after six interceptions of lots of potatoes infected with brown rot within the same export season (usually from January to June).

Egypt recently informed the Commission that, in order to reduce the risk of reaching the threshold for the ban, it will no longer ship as consignments individual lots of 25 tonnes from one basin. All potatoes from one basin will now be identified under the same lot number.

Having discussed this with the Member States in the Standing Committee on Plant Health, the Commission has confirmed to Egypt that it accepts the new system on condition that each lot - irrespective of the quantity of potatoes - is shipped as a single consignment to the EU (in line with PPC definitions) and has recalled that the same intensity of phytosanitary inspection at arrival is maintained as in previous years. This means that, upon arrival in the EU, consignments will continue to be sampled and inspected at the level of 200 tubers per 25 tonnes of potatoes.

For phytosanitary purposes, each lot in a consignment needs to be handled as a single unit. If found infested, the whole lot will be intercepted irrespective of the quantity of potatoes involved.

D. André - Head of Unit EU Commission

DG SANCO - safety of the food chain - biotechnology and plant health