USE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED BACTERIA IN FOOD PRODUCTION

Early day motion 582, tabled 25 January 2005 by Alan Simpson (Labour). Signed by 38 members.

That this House notes with concern the decision taken in a closed meeting of the European Union's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 24th September 2004 that despite the introduction of recent legislation on the labelling of food products derived from or using genetically modified organisms, food produced by fermentation involving genetically modified micro-organisms including bacteria would not need to be clearly labelled and would for political reasons be considered to lie outside the scope of law; notes that this secretive decision flies in the face of the clear intention of the European Parliament and the majority of member states' national legislatures, including this House; and calls upon the Government to argue strongly that the review of the working of this legislation scheduled by the Commission for completion in November should insist that all such loopholes are removed so that consumers may rely upon the accurate and open labelling of all food that they consume and choose if they wish to avoid products made using genetically modified bacteria.

Signatures by party: Labour 19, Liberal Democrat 13, Plaid Cymru 2, UUP 2, DUP 1, Labour/Co-operative 1.