In October 2002 more than 80.000 signatures and a long list of supporting organisations were presented to the European Commissioners Franz Fischler and David Byrne. At this event, Commissioner Fischler promised to take a close look at the implications of the Seed Directive and the whole issue of co-existence between GM and non-GM farming. Commissioner Byrne, who was in charge of the Seed Directive, put the proposal on ice in order to await the Parliament's and Council's decisions on GM labelling thresholds for food and feed in order to adapt the proposed seed contamination levels to the allowable maximum of food and feed contamination levels. When this decision was finally taken in July 2003 he announced reintroduction of the Seed Directive proposal more or less unchanged.