The European Union has postponed until December a vote on whether or not to approve a type of genetically modified sweetcorn made by Swiss biotech firm Syngenta.
If approved, the Bt-11 sweetcorn will bring an end to the EU’s unofficial five-year moratorium on approving new biotech products.
If the EU approves the product, the move will be welcomed by the US, which together with Canada and Argentina, has filed dispute proceedings at the World Trade Organisation against the EU’s biotech policy.