After years of delay, the Food and Drug Administration FDA tentatively concluded yesterday that milk and meat from some cloned farm animals are safe to eat. That finding could make the United States the first country to allow products from cloned livestock to be sold in grocery stores. Even if the agency’s assessment is formally approved next year, consumers will not see many steaks or pork chops from cloned animals because the technology is still too expensive to be used widely.

Europe's Food Safety Authority has ruled that a genetically-modified cotton plant, which can be used for food applications, presents no cause for concern. EFSA's GMO panel has now adopted an opinion on the application for the commercialisation of glufosinate-tolerant genetically modified LLCotton25. The panel concluded by saying that LLCotton25 is unlikely to have any adverse effect on human and animal health or on the environment in the context of its intended uses.

The European Commission lost for the second time a pivotal vote in the Council of Ministers on its GMO approvals. A qualified (two third) majority rejected its demand to waive an Austrian ban on Monsantos GM maize "Mon810". In fact all member states except the UK, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Netherlands voted against the proposal. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace welcomed the decision. As a WTO panel had recently ruled that the Austrian ban was actually illegal, the member states decision is also a clear comment on the EU Commission's decision not to appeal this verdict.

Austria may escape another order to lift its two bans on genetically modified maize varieties as EU ministers prepare to deliver a second rebuff to the European Commission, officials said on Thursday. To force Austria to lift its bans, the Commission will need to secure a weighted majority of EU ministers in favour of its draft orders. There can also be a weighted majority against, when the Commission would withdraw the orders and reconsider. While the positions of nearly all the 25 countries are already known, three states are wavering - Germany, Portugal and Spain.

France may face a fine of more than 38 million euros (US$50.3 million) from Europe's top court for its failure to update national laws on genetically modified (GMO) crops and foods, the European Commission said on Tuesday. The Commission, the EU executive, has often warned France to comply with EU law and integrate into its national statute book an EU directive on the environmental release of GMOs. Apart from the lump sum fine, the Commission also asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to order Paris to pay 366,744 euros a day until French law adequately reflected the EU directive, it said in a statement.

Irish MEPs Liam Aylward (FF), Kathy Sinnott (Independent) and Marian Harkin (Independent) have strongly criticised a controversial draft resolution on biotechnology and genetically modified crops to be voted on soon by the European Parliament.

EU environment experts failed today to agree on whether to authorise growing of a genetically modified potatoe. The EU regulatory committee has not reached a qualified majority. The decision therefore passes to the Council of Ministers.

Britain's farm and environment ministry said on Friday it had given the go-ahead for research trials on disease resistant genetically modified potatoes.

German chemicals group BASF will be allowed to hold trials on two sites in England, starting next year. The GMO potatoes, which have been developed to be resistant to potato blight, will not be used for food or animal feed.

Russia agreed to maintain an interim approval and registration system for products of modern biotechnology that is science-based, transparent, predictable and consistent with the WTO Agreement.

Further Russia agreed to register products covered by all pending applications that have received a favorable science-based risk assessment by November 15, 2006. Russia and the United States agreed to hold annual consultations on the status of applications for re-registration of products whose registrations have expired during that year and to establish an ongoing bilateral consultative mechanism to discuss issues of regulatory development in the area of agricultural biotechnology.

The World Trade Organization on Tuesday ruled that European countries broke international trade regulations by preventing imports of genetically modified foods. Argentina, Canada and the United States - which brought the dispute to the WTO - said the decision proves there was no scientific evidence to justify the ban. The three urged the 25-nation European Union to immediately bring into compliance its laws on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.