Europe’s leading food safety agency gave a clean bill of health on Friday for the planting of a genetically modified (GMO) maize, the first step toward possible EU approval.

While the EU has now lifted its 6-year ban on imports of new GMOs, there have no approvals since 1998 on any new gene-spliced crop that could be planted in Europe’s fields - and the EU’s 25 governments are deeply divided on the issue.

A handful of GMO crops, mainly maize types, were authorized for growing across the EU shortly before the moratorium began in 1998. No new crop has been allowed for planting since then.

Spain is the only EU state to grow gene-altered crops on a commercial scale, although field trials exist elsewhere.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is key to the biotech debate, since it is independent and non-political.

It has already given several positive assessments of GMOs for use in food and animal feed, but never for a “live” one that can be planted. Now, it has made its first foray into the controversial area of whether GMO crops are safe to be planted.

The maize, known as 1507, is made jointly by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co. and Dow AgroSciences unit Mycogen seeds. It is engineered to resist the corn borer insect, among other pests, and a widely used type of herbicide.

“The Panel considers that 1507 maize will have similar impacts on the environment as other comparable non-GM maize cultivated plant varieties,” EFSA said. The maize was also safe for use in animal feed and industrial processing, it said.

“The Panel is of the opinion that there is no evidence to indicate that the placing of 1507 maize and derived products on the market is likely to cause adverse effects on human or animal health or the environment,” it said in a statement.

EFSA’s views are used by the European Commission as independent scientific opinion on the safety risk of GMO products for entry into the food chain, for consumption by humans and animals and for release into the environment.

DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD

Despite the EU lifting its moratorium on new GMOs, there is little sign of any break in the deadlock between the EU’s 25 governments on the issue of biotech crops for planting.

And while EFSA’s opinion is needed for 1507 maize’s application for growing to proceed, it will be many months yet before this is presented to any EU panel of experts.

Before then, EU environment experts, representing member states, will meet on Monday to discuss whether to allow imports of 1507 maize, but only for use in industrial processing, including in animal feed.

One of the maize’s co-manufacturers welcomed the EFSA opinion, saying it hopes the EU experts will permit imports of their product at their meeting next week.

The “1507 maize has been proven safe,” said Alejandro Munoz, Director of Europe for Pioneer Hi-Bred International. “(It) should have a fair and equitable opportunity to compete with other products that have already been approved in the EU, and member states are urged to vote positively on this dossier on Monday,” Munoz said in a statement.

But diplomats say the longstanding deadlock between EU states is unlikely to be broken, meaning that the decision will probably be escalated to ministers to decide.