The Green Party also expressed support for the initiative of the European Greens to stop the marketing of genetically modified sweetcorn in the European Union.

The co-presidents of the Green/EFA Group in the European Parliament, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica Frassoni, wrote to Commission President Romano Prodi and President of the European Council Bertie Ahern, urging them to refuse to authorise the marketing of Bt11 type genetically modified sweetcorn and thus maintain the EU’s de facto moratorium on new GMO licences.

The letters present strong arguments against the authorisation of the GM sweetcorn.

The Irish presidency has scheduled a decision on the issue for the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Luxembourg on 26 and 27 April.

In the letters, the Green/EFA Group present evidence from scientific surveys conducted in France, Belgium and Austria which demonstrate that the safety of Bt11 corn is far from assured.

AD spokesman Ralph Cassar called on the Maltese government to make its stand clear on this issue. “Malta should be a voice for food safety and the protection of farmers in the European Union”, he said.

“Opinion polls, studies and public debates show a massive and constant rejection of GMOs by the European public, not only out of safety concerns, but also due to wider worries about the environment and corporate control of the food chain.

“By making Malta a GMO free zone, Maltese farmers would not be subjected to corporate control and would be able to cater for a growing demand for organic food in Europe.

“If Malta permits the growing of GM crops, our soil will be contaminated and it would be impossible to develop organic agriculture,” Mr Cassar concluded.