Brussels - The European Union has authorised imports of four genetically modified (GMO) crop products for sale across its 27 national markets for the next 10 years, the European Commission said.

Three of the GMO products are maize types, two of them hybrids, and the fourth is a sugar beet. None would be grown in Europe but would be imported for use in food and animal feed.

The first maize, known commercially as Herculex RW and also by its codename 59122, is jointly made by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co (DD.N: Quote, Profile, Research), and Dow AgroSciences (DOW.N: Quote, Profile, Research) unit Mycogen Seeds.

The same two companies developed a maize hybrid called 1507/NK603 to resist field pests such as the European corn borer, as well as the glufosinate-ammonium and glyphosate herbicides.

The third GMO maize is also a hybrid, developed by U.S. biotech company Monsanto (MON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and called MON810/ NK603. The maize plants resist certain insects and also glyphosate - the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.

The sugar beet, called H7-1, was developed jointly by Monsanto and German plant breeding company KWS SAAT AG to resist glyphosate-containing herbicides. It is designed for use in foods and feed, such as sugar, syrup, dried pulp and molasses.