> Germany says suspends approval of GM maize
>
> BERLIN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The German government suspended its approval of
> sales of genetically modified (GM) maize until a federal agency had decided
> on the matter on Friday, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
>
> Health Minister Andrea Fischer said she had told Germany's main health and
> safety agency, the Robert Koch institute, not to issue a licence to the
> Swiss life sciences firm Novartis to sell genetically modified maize in
> Germany.
>
> ``The health risks of genetically modified maize have not been conclusively
> examined,'' Fischer said.
>
> The government office responsible for plant and species classification will
> rule on the maize in question, known as BT maize, on Friday.
>
> BT maize has been altered in a laboratory to resist corn-borer insects and
> tolerate herbicide. It relies on a gene that causes it to express a toxin,
> known as BT, that kills corn-borer insects. Corn-borers cause billions of
> dollars in crop damage in the northern hemisphere.
>
> In 1996 Austria banned another modified strain of maize produced by
Novartis.
>
> Producers of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, argue the technology
> offers agriculture advantages such as heightened resistance to plant
> disease and yield increases that could help to solve the world's future
> food problems.
>
> Opponents say not enough is known about their impact on health and the
> environment to justify their widespread use.
>
> Wide public mistrust and lobbying against the technology in Europe has led
> to a virtual shutdown of European Union approvals of new GMOs and few
> supermarket and restaurant chains stock genetically altered products.
>