(Adds E.U. statement, details.)

BRUSSELS (AFP)--A genetically modified strain of corn, banned in some European Union countries, poses no risk to health or the environment, the European Food Safety Authority declared Tuesday.

The Monsanto Co. (MON) MON810 corn "is as safe as its conventional counterpart with respect to potential effects on human and animal health," the official agency said after studying the strain.

In April Germany became the sixth E.U. nation to ban the genetically-modified corn produced by the U.S. biotech giant.