Berlin.- Unable to understand the most recent decision and great personal consternation the members of the ZKBS (The Central Committee for Biological Safety) learned through the media that the Federal Ministry of Health had issued a directive upon the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) removing the permit for the planting of gene engineered Bt-Corn Event 176 (Novartis) within Germany just four weeks before plantings were about to begin. A short while ago the government allowed - again - the planting of small areas (500 ha per year) of this variety of corn.

The ZKBS is a Committee of independent scientists elected by the government in order to evaluate the safety of different products in accordance with gene technology legislation, and thereby to consult the federal and state governments in questions regarding genetic engineering. The members of the ZKBS feel they have been bypassed and ignored through the government's actions. For the first time in its existence the recommendation of the ZKBS as to the biological safety of a genetically engineered plants has been ignored by the BMG without consultation - and the decision of the BMG was in no way based upon the recommendations of the ZKBS.

The members of the ZKBS see no scientific basis for the decision of the BMG, which was based upon improperly planned laboratory trials and an unscientific and faulty expert opinion of the Öko-Institut e.V. (Institute for Ecology, Freiburg). These data were used as the basis for the BMG's decision to remove the permit for genetically engineered corn from Novartis and only to allow limited planting for research purposes. The ZKBS had already come to the conclusion - during its 1997 deliberations as to the permission of large scale plantings of this corn - that the permission of large scale plantings of Novartis Bt-corn, unlimited both in scale and time frame of the plantings, would have no deleterious effects upon the life and health of humans, animals, other plants and the environment either through its method of action or its own constitution.

The members of the ZKBS therefore cannot understand why the Ministry of Health (BMG), was able to issue a directive based upon safety considerations, although it has been in possession of the ZKBS conclusions since 1997. The committee also questions why the BMG has only recently (March 2000) seen a need for new discussions on this subject. The members of the ZKBS will not accept the reports from the Ministry of Health (BMG) that the decision of the BMG is supported through scientific consultation by the ZKBS. Furthermore the ZKBS sees the decision of the BMG with respect to both the directive and then the permission of small area plantings, as counter to the position and opinion of the ZKBS. The mode of action of the BMG has forced the ZKBS to inform the European Commission and the responsible technical committee of their scientific position and the circumstances of the case. The ZKBS hopes for a correct and proper decision.

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