Malta’s opposition was made by Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino during the Council of Environment Ministers’ meeting held in Luxembourg on Monday.

Mr Pullicino explained that Malta was voting against the proposal since it felt that the post-market monitoring plan, the traceability and the labelling arrangements proposed by the applicant were inadequate on various grounds.

The Environment Council established that from the various submissions made by the delegations, there was no qualified majority for or against the proposed

decision.

In view of this, the Commission will be able to adopt its proposal since a qualified majority was required to adopt or reject the Commission’s proposal at the Council meeting.

Apart from Malta, the countries who voted against were Latvia, Denmark, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Austria and Luxembourg. Two countries, Belgium and Spain, abstained while nine others, led by Britain and Holland, were in favour of approval.

The stalemate will, however, not prevent the EU’s head office from approving the corn for sale on the European market. That decision is expected in the next few weeks, said officials. Last Friday the European Commission urged EU governments to approve the corn hybrid, produced by Monsanto Co. in St Louis, Missouri, after it had undergone “a thorough safety assessment for any adverse impact on public health.”

Last month the union lifted its six-year moratorium on approving genetically modified organisms. Under EU rules, member states have three months to decide whether to accept requests for biotech products for sale in the EU. If they fail to reach a decision, it is left to the Commission to decide on the application.

The stalemate reflects the deep divisions in Europe over the use of biotech foods.

Genetically altered crops remain unpopular among many consumers in the wake of recent food-related health scares, from mad cow disease to poisoned poultry.

In May, a biotech variety of corn made by Switzerland’s Syngenta AG was approved for import and sale, but not cultivation.

It was the first such approval for a biotech product in the EU since 1998, when a de facto moratorium was imposed in response to public fears about the health and safety of bioengineering.

The US administration has accused the EU of violating international trade rules by hindering the marketing of genetically modified food.

Although it has welcomed the EU’s lifting of a moratorium, it continues with a complaint against Europe at the World Trade Organisation. An initial ruling is expected in September.