A decision by EU Environment Ministers this week not to force countries to give up bans on cultivating genetically modified maize is good news for Wales, according to Plaid MEP Jill Evans.

In what has been viewed as a test case, the European Commission had wanted to force Hungary and Austria to lift bans imposed locally on growing certain types of genetically modified maize.

But the Commission's proposal was rejected by Europe's Environment Ministers, who have the final say, with twenty two out of twenty seven member states voting against the proposal.

Responding to the news, the Plaid MEP said:

"We know that public opinion is massively against GMOs and want their food GM free. Plaid is on their side and this latest ruling is good news for consumers and for producers who are opposed to GM.

"It will also be a boost to Welsh efforts to keep Wales GM free. Just recently our Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones announced new regulations on GM crops and indicated that Wales would continue to take as restrictive an approach as possible to commercial planting."

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