European ministers have once again thrown out a Commission proposal to allow a GM ingredient into the EU food chain.

Ministers from the 25 member states this week refused to authorise Europeab imports of Monsanto’s GM maize GA21.

Despite tough new rules on the labelling of GM ingredients for food products, member states still need to be convinced that introducing genetically modified ingredients into food production is acceptable.

Since November 2003, the European Commission has asked EU states 10 times to vote on authorising a GMO food or feed product. But by all accounts a damp squib, in nine cases there was no agreement on the proposal and in one case the vote was postponed.

This time around, 12 countries abstained, eight voted in favour (including the UK) and five voted against biotech giant Monsanto’s GA21, modified to be tolerant to the company’s glyphosate herbicide.

To date, only two crops, Bt11 sweetcorn from Syngenta whose approval broke the EU ban, and NK603 maize designed by Monsanto, have been approved, in May and October 2004 respectively.