The European Commission will meet this week to discuss the implications of a ruling by the European Court of Justice earlier in the month. The ECJ ruling, which stated that transgenic (GM) pollen in honey is an ingredient and as such its presence in food needs prior EU approval, was made after a court case filed in Germany in 2005 reached the court; the affected beekeeper had been unable to sell his produce as it was contaminated by pollen from transgenic crops grown at a test site near to his hives. image expired

According to a spokesperson for health Commissioner John Dalli, the commission will "Discuss potential contamination [of foods] by genetically modified organisms, and the question of honey production," at a meeting on 22nd September.  The spokesperson added, "This ruling is very likely to have an impact on the European Union's honey imports."  

In light of the new ruling, beekeepers in areas where GM crops are grown, including Spain, where the GM maize which caused the ire of the German apiarists is grown commercially, may need to get the contaminated produce officially approved and labelled in order to legally sell their honey in the EU. It may also be possible for beekeepers to sue governments and companies responsible for honey which is deemed unsalable due to contamination.

A number of environmental associations and the German Beekeeping Association have called for safety distances of 3-10km between beehives and GM crop fields in an effort to avoid further legal disputes.   

After the ECJ ruling on 6th September, French Green politician and vice-president of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture (AGRI), José Bové, said, "This case shows that coexistence is a fraud and that the cultivation of GMO crops denies us the choice of GMO-free products. Authorising the cultivation of transgenic crops will necessarily lead to the contamination of other crops and food products, like honey."

In response to the ruling and the upcoming meeting of the EC Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) said it had been in contact with Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), who it said would be "considering the potential implications of this, including those for GM trials, with the European Commission and other Member States."

The FSA said that after Thursday’s EC meeting it "should be in position to say more about the implications of the opinion." In a statement, the BBKA said it would "monitor these developments and assess their possible effects both for its members and the public."