EU fails to agree on GMO potato

EU states on Wednesday failed to reach agreement on whether to authorise a new genetically modified potato. Since July, the biotech industry has been awaiting an EU decision on an application by German chemicals giant BASF to approve the genetically modified (GMO) potato for use as animal feed. However the proposal, which scientific experts from the 27 EU member states could not agree on, would also allow for a 0.9 percent tolerance for "adventitious presence"in the general food market. That means the GMO potato could not be deliberately introduced into the human food chain but its accidental residual introduction could be tolerated.