A maize shipment to the Netherlands that Greenpeace said had been found to contain genetically modified grain must be returned to the United States, the European Union said on Monday.
A European Commission spokesman said the European Food Safety Authority had found the type of genetically engineered maize Greenpeace referred to was not a health threat, but it had yet to be approved for use in the EU. "It is still unlawful at the moment," Michael Mann said. "So it is up to the Dutch authorities to send this back to the US"
Mann said Dutch authorities would have to provide information on the steps they had taken and also whether any of the cargo had been unloaded in another EU country. Greenpeace said the vessel had offloaded part of its cargo in Ireland.
The environment group said this was at least the fourth time in the past two years that unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) had entered Europe.
"Given the evidence, official traceability and testing systems are patently unable to detect illegal GMO varieties entering Europe," it said. The group called on the EU's executive Commission to suspend all imports of US agricultural produce at risk of being contaminated with unauthorised GMOs.
A spokeswoman for the Dutch Environment Ministry said she had no information on the specific case but that under Dutch law a vessel with an illegal cargo normally had to be returned. A spokesman for Rotterdam port said the ship was not there on Monday and that he did not know when it had left or for where.