In France 447 samples of imported seeds from 5 countries (USA, Chili, Hungary, South Africa, Turkey) have been tested by the Direction Générale de l'Alimentation . The authority found some GMO contamination in 109 samples. 93% of the samples contained GMOs, authorised in the European Union at levels below 0,5% and where allowed to be markted. 2 samples from Chili showed higher levels of contamination and were sent back, 14 samples needed further analysis. Coordination Paysanne, Greenpeace and the Green Party protested against the marketing of slightly contaminated seeds.En francais seulement:<a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/figaro_semences.pdf">Le Figaro: 8 auot 02</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/france_semences.pdf">AFP: OGM-agriculture</a></p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.fr/campagnes/cdp/ogm/O020806.php3">Greenpeace France communique de presse</a>

An Italian court is investigating 10 seed companies for allegedly using maize containing genetic material in violation of Italian law, a judicial official said. The court in Turin launched the probe late on Tuesday after state seed agency Ense tested samples from seed companies for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and found some of them to be positive, the official, who asked not to be identified, said. Italy has zero tolerance towards GM seeds, even though the European Union`s Scientific Committee on Plants and other groups say the presence of GM material in seeds is inevitable because of unintentional contamination in the production process.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/italy_court.pdf">Reuters: Italian Court probes seed companies</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/italy_manifesto.pdf">Il Manifesto, Contaminazione Ogm delle sementi: l'ultimo assalto</a>

The European Commission had presented a revised version of it`s draft Directive regarding contamination of seeds with GMOs beginning of July. It intended to have an "indicative vote" on this draft in the Standing Committee on Seeds on July 18th. However after intervention of Members of the European Parliament this vote has been postponed. The MEPs argued that the Commission had to first await the results of the Regulations on GMO Food and Feed labelling in order not to contradict them.The thresholds for adventitious contaminiation of seeds, which the Commission proposes (0,3% for rape seed, 0,5% for maize and beet and 0,7% for soja) could not guarantee that a maximum threshold of 0,5% for adventitious contamination of food and feed can be observed. The EP had voted in favour to setting such reduced thresholds at it`s plenary session on the 3rd of July.In it`s revised draft the Commission did not change the thresholds but only deleted detailed provisions how breeders should avoid contamination. The draft is available upon request from info@zs-l.de.

The EP will vote on the reports below on Wednesday, July 3rd. The plenary discussion will take place on Tuesday, 2nd. At stake will be the future labelling and approval requirements for GMO in food and feed as well as general rules on traceability and thresholds of GMO.REPORT on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation on genetically modified food and feed (COM(2001) 425 - C5-0368/2001 - 2001/0173(COD))Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, Rapporteur: Karin ScheeleREPORT on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation concerning traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC (COM(2001) 182 - C5-0380/2001 - 2001/0180(COD)) Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, Rapporteur: Antonios Trakatellis<a href="http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/OM-Europarl?PROG=AGENDA&L=EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S&PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+AGENDA+20020702+SIT+DOC+SGML+V0//EN">Draft agenda - Tuesday 2 July 2002</a>

The North Atlantic Free Trade Association`s environmental commission said Thursday it would investigate reports of transgenic corn growing in southern Mexico, responding to concerns that imported corns have contaminated native crops. Scott Vaughan, head of the economy and trade division of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), said genetically modified corn was a "huge issue" for Mexico and warranted additional investigation.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/download/mexican_corn_20062002.pdf">Reuters and Greenpeace press release</a>

Upon the initiative of the German delegation Environment ministers of the EU will discuss the implications of commercial GMO releases for the co-existence of conventional organic and GMO agriculture at their meeting next week.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/download/env_council_2506.doc">Environment Council, German submission</a>

FIS and ASSINSEL, the World Seed Industry Organizations, have merged to International Seed Federation, ISF. At their first general assembly the organisation adopted a position paper on GMOs in Seeds. The first president is Dr. Christopher Ahrens, board-member of KWS Saat AG, Germany.</p><p><a href="http://www.worldseed.org/">FIS/ASSINSEL</a></p><p><a href="http://www.worldseed.org/merger.html">Merger</a>Deutsche Meldung:<a href="http://www.agroonline.de/nachrichten/personen/pages/show.prl?params=%26recent%3D1%26type%3D2&id=9863">AgroOnline - Nachrichten/Personen</a>

Full text of the Report on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation concerning traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC(COM(2001) 182 - C5-0380/2001 - 2001/0180(COD)) Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy. Vote in the plenary session of the EP in July.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/download/ep_env_traceandlabel.doc">Environment Committee Report as Doc file - 52 pages</a>

(June 13, 2002 - CropChoice news) - Todd Leake fears that genetically engineered wheat could contaminate North Dakota`s pure seed stocks, even before it`s available commercially for planting. He fears that wheat which Monsanto genetically engineered to resist the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) could appear in the conventional varieties that the state`s farmers grow, because North Dakota State University is under contract with Monsanto to conduct nursery trials on the Roundup Ready wheat.</p><p><a href="http://www.cropchoice.com/leadstry.asp?RecID=748">CropChoice.com News</a>

Corn sent to Bolivia under the US food aid programme by USAID contained "Starlink" corn, which is prohibited for human consumption because of allergenicity concerns world wide. Also other GMOs have been detected in food aid corn, Friends of the Earth revealed.</p><p><a href="http://www.foe.org/foodaid/">Friends of the Earth : ILLEGAL GENETICALLY ENGINEERED STARLINK CORN CONTAMINATES FOOD AID</a>