European Union (eu) farm ministers once again revealed their long-standing rift over genetically modified ( gm ) food. At a recent meet in Luxembourg, proposals to approve new gm imports and to ask Greece to lift its gm ban could not be passed.

All the gmos under discussion are maize types made by us biotech giant Monsanto. In such a deadlock, the European Commission gains legal power to approve a new gm product and, as in the case of Greece, to issue an order to an eu state to reverse a national measure. Greece banned gmo maize in the country in early 2005, under the eu law which provides for countries to decide whether to allow such seeds in the national territory.