Friends of the Earth

Embargo: 00:01 Friday 30 April - Interviewee - Adrian Bebb, Friends of the
Earth Europe - mobile +49 (0)1609 490 1163

PUBLIC SHOULD NOT BE FORCE FED GM CROP NOT FIT FOR ANIMALS
A genetically modified crop already rejected by Europe as not good enough to
be fed to animals is being put forward as a potential food for humans.

The EU will today (Friday 30) vote on whether a GM maize (NK603) created by
the US-based multinational Monsanto should be imported into Europe for
public consumption. Earlier this week Agriculture Ministers failed to
support a different maize application after disagreements emerged over its
safety.

The maize being debated today has been genetically modified to be resistant
to Monsanto´s herbicide, "RoundUp".

In February member states failed to support the same GM crop for use as an
animal feed.

Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner, Clare Oxborrow, said:
"If this GM food is not good enough to be fed to cows then it certainly
should not be fed to humans. The only logical action must be to reject this
application and call on the GM industry to start doing proper safety tests."

Friends of the Earth is critical of the Monsanto application which:

* fails to look at the grain's effects on subsequent generations, cumulative
toxic effects and the effects on the health of sensitive consumers as
required under EU food law

* fails to explain or fully investigate unexpected discoveries occurring
after the genetic modification

* insufficiently investigated the possibility of the modification causing
more allergies

On the same day anti-GM campaigners will be protesting at the Annual General
Meeting of Europe´s largest GM company, the German-based Bayer about its
involvement in GM crops.

Protesters will highlight how Bayers GM plans have gone wrong, ranging from
their recent withdrawal from the UK market, the recommendation to ban
their GM oilseed rape and the objections by EU member states and people in
developing countries to their GM rice.

Geert Ritsema, GM Coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe said:
"It is about time that Bayer faces reality. GM foods are a failure. They are
a risk to human health and the vast majority of consumers in Europe do
not want them. Financial sense would dictate that Bayer should quit the GM
business."

Notes to Editors

A BRIEFING ON NK603 CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/pending/index.htm

1. Article 14(4) of Regulation 178/2002
2. Unexpected sequences discovered in the genome after the modification.
Research shows that such sequences could shut down neighbouring genes.
3. International guidance on allergy testing that EU scientists produced in
2003 should mean that Monsanto would have to do more thorough testing.

CONTACTS
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe - mobile +49 (0)1609 490 1163
Geert Ritsema (at Bayers AGM in Cologne/Köln) - mobile +31 (0)6 290 05 908