Austria and Hungary reaffirmed their sovereign right on the second of March, 2009 to ban growing genetically modified maize after EU environment ministers squashed more attempts by the European Commission to lift the restrictions. At least 21 out of 27 member states-voted against draft orders for Vienna and Budapest to end their GM crop bans within 20 days.

EU law provides for national GMO bans under certain circumstances if the government can justify the prohibition. Hungary's ban relates to MON 810 maize, developed and marketed by U.S. biotech company Monsanto and the only GM crop that may so far be commercially grown in the EU. Austria has also banned cultivation of MON 810 maize, as well as that of T25 maize, made by German drugs and chemicals group Bayer.

The biotech industry says its products are as safe as conventional equivalents, saying that it was incomprehensible that some EU countries had chosen to ignore scientific evidence on the safety of the two GM maize types.

Last month, EU biotech experts failed to get a consensus to approve similar orders for France and Greece to scrap bans on growing MON 810 maize.

The EU has not approved any GM crops for commercial growing since 1998, when MON 810 first gained its authorization.

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