European Commission approves four GM crops for import and processing

The European Commission has approved four genetically engineered (GM) crops — two cotton varieties, one maize and one soybean — for use in food and animal feed, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The decision was published in the EU’s Official Journal on March 12 and is valid for 10 years. It applies exclusively to imports and processing for food and feed purposes and does not authorize cultivation within the European Union.

All approved products will be subject to the EU’s strict labelling and traceability requirements, which govern the presence and movement of genetically modified organisms in the bloc’s food and feed chains.

Among the authorizations is the first-time approval of the genetically modified soybean event DBN-09004-6, submitted by Belgium-based Perseus BV on behalf of China’s Beijing DaBeiNong Biotechnology Co.

The Commission also renewed approvals for maize event T25 (ACS-ZMØØ3-2) and the stacked cotton event GHB614 × LLCotton25. The decisions are limited to import and processing, with no changes to the EU’s stance on domestic cultivation of GM crops.