Greens urge Dail genetic foods debate

The Green Party has called for a full Dail debate on genetically modified organisms, after remarks yesterday by the chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland that genetic foods were of no direct benefit to the consumer.

"The Government must debate this highly contentious issue so that Ireland can pursue a policy that supports the principles of precaution and consumer protection," said Mr John Gormley TD, the party's spokesman on the environment.

"Minister Dempsey has stayed completely silent on this most serious issue," he said. The Minister for the Environment's decision to carry out a public consultation process on GMOs was "just a stalling tactic", he added. "The time is right for the Government to address these concerns and that is why we want a full Dail debate now."

The Fine Gael spokeswoman on environmental protection, Ms Deirdre Clune TD, called for an "unambiguous statement on Government policy" on GMOs. Ms Clune said that, while she did not believe there was evidence of a health risk from those foods, there was a need for clear labelling and legislative controls to regulate the industry. "The Government should press for segregation at source of all crops, then ensure that we have clear and consistent labelling of all genetically modified products and their derivatives."