BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European biotechnology industry is desperately trying to play down the furor that has swept Europe over recent days, since it became known that Canadian-supplied rapeseed planted in several European countries contains a small proportion of genetically modified seeds mixed in by accident.

Over recent months European governments have been conspicuously reticent about allowing even carefully controlled trials of GM crops to be conducted, given the sensitivities of environmentalists and consumer protection lobbies who have been demanding a precautionary approach to any tests because of the fear of contamination. In the wake of this new situation created by seed supplied by Advanta Seeds to farmers in several European countries, France and Sweden already have ordered the plowing up of the crop, and the UK government issued clear instructions on Sunday that none of the crop could be sold in the UK.

As European agriculture ministers met in Portugal to review this new crisis in the troubled history of European acceptance of biotechnology, EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, issued a statement Monday urging a "practical" response.

"Neither human health nor the environment were in any way put at risk by the adventitious presence of genetically modified seeds in bags of non-GM seed varieties," said EuropaBio, pointing to the fact that the reported presence in imported oilseed rapeseed was "far less than 1 percent of GM material."

This should not make Europeans anxious, EuropaBio said. "Large areas of the concerned GMO rape variety are currently being grown in North America without negative impact on human health or quality of the environment." And here, the organization said, the amount and concentration involved is "below the threshold that would require the labeling of food products in which it is used, and well within varietal purity standards for the production of seeds."

EuropaBio even said the case demonstrated how well European control systems function: "It has been shown that the traceability of GM and non-GM seed is possible, from the seed producer right through to the farmer," it said. Destruction of the crops "is an overreaction, as possible food products derived from this rapeseed would under current EU legislation not have to be labeled as containing GMOs."

What EuropaBio says should happen now is that the EU should develop "clear regulations" on adventitious (accidental) presence of GMOs in conventional seeds. It says it is willing to participate in any discussion and to make available its expertise.

But the tide of opposition is mounting in Europe from a growing number of opponents of biotechnology. Now it is not only the traditional critics who are attacking the industry and what they see as regulatory deficiencies, but even UK farmers - about 500 of whom have planted a total of nearly 5,000 acres of contaminated seed - are now angry with suppliers and with the government.