EU food agency gives green light to GMO hybrids

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Europe’s food safety agency gave a clean bill of health on Friday to three more genetically modified (GMO) maize types, its first assessment of hybrid strains that combine different quality traits into one plant.

The three maize hybrids are all manufactured by U.S. biotech giant Monsanto . Their intended use in the European Union, if an authorization is granted, would be for in food and animal feed, as well as industrial processing, but not growing.

"The panel considered that the information available is sufficient to come to a conclusion and that the GM maize hybrids ... will not have adverse effects on human or animal health or on the environment in the context of their proposed uses,” the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in a statement.

“These are not different from their conventional counterparts with regard to their safety and nutritional properties,” EFSA said.

The hybrids are based on the following modified maize types known by the code numbers MON 863, MON 810 and NK 603. No new genetic modification was performed to create the hybrids.

Producing hybrid maize is a standard process in traditional maize breeding. It involves producing separate lines that are then crossed to make a hybrid seed, allowing for desirable traits to be selected to enhance agricultural performance. NK 603 maize, for example, is engineered to resist herbicides, while MON 863 can provide plant protection against certain pests, specifically the corn rootworm. MON 810 maize is resistant to other pests such as caterpillars and certain worms. 

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