ILOILO CITY - Farmers in the Visayas who have long feared the health risks supposedly associated with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and biotechnology products could now heave a sigh of relief after an official of the European Union (EU) vouched for their safety.

The same official revealed to Filipino scientists that the EU conclusion was made after years of study and thorough scientific inquiry into the toxicity and nutritional value of GMOs and food preparations derived from them.

Earlier, farmer groups in the Visayas threatened to block the cultivation of GMOs, particularly Bt corn, saying that the variety developed using Bacillus thuringiensis had high toxicity and would create monster weeds and pests.

Based on studies in Europe, the reverse is true since Bt corn is disease-resistant tested negative as far as health risks to humans are concerned.

Patrick Deboyser, minister counselor of the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (SANCO) of the European Union (EU) told agriculture and food experts who attended a seminar of EU food safety and biotechnology at the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soil and Water Management (DA-BSWM) that biotechnology guarantees global food security.

Deboyser said that the EU is meticulous about food since it buys bulk of its agricultural products from countries in North America and Asia.

The EU, an economic and political alliance of most nations in Europe, is the world's largest importer of agricultural products, absorbing more than what the US, Canada and Japan import each year.

Deboyser's declaration indicates the satisfaction of the EU with food products that are derived from GMOs.

It is generally known that the EU maintains stringent phytosanitary standards and all food products entering the European market have to pass through strict tests before they are allowed to enter the market.

The EU official stressed that scientific tests have confirmed the absence of toxicity in GMOs and consequently, all studies conducted so far dashed the fears of GMO opponents about the health risks posed biotechnology products.

Over the last five years, the EU food safety system has been overhauled, and many of its standards have been revised to conform to the advances in science, food processing and even biotechnology.

Deboyser also explained that the EU has consistently been monitoring the food chain under its farm-to-market approach, thus leaving no room for faulty processing and the use of toxic food in any dinner table in Europe.

On account of these actions, EU now proudly claims to have the highest food safety standards in the world.