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This potato contains modified starch which - according to the consent holder BASF - can be better processed into products like paper and adhesives. The authorisation was issued for cultivation and for use as feed and as food not exceeding the threshold of 0,9 %. Amflora is a very controversial potato product as it contains the Antibiotic Resistance Marker Gene nptII which creates resistance to important antibiotics like kanamycin, neomycin or geneticin thus posing risks for medical and veterinary treatment.

Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of GMOs stipulated the phasing out of the use of such Antibiotic Resistance Markers within a transition period starting from 2001 and ending at the latest by 31 December 2004. Despite this obligation, the European Commission authorized a GMO product which has been prohibited now for more than 5 years. In doing this the Commission relied on a scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), however, this latter opinion contradicts to EFSA’s earlier opinion, ignores the views of competent bodies like the WHO and the European Medicines Agency and shows many inconsistencies like incomplete consideration of evidence.

Justice and Environment – European Network of Environmental Law Organizations – in cooperation with Greenpeace CEE and FoE Austria/GLOBAL 2000 – decided to take the case and request an internal review of the decision at the European Commission, based on Regulation (EC) No. 1367/2006 (the so-called “Aarhus Regulation”). The response of the Commission can be expected in the coming six weeks.

You can read the request here.