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Polish President Bronisław Komorowski has vetoed a bill that regulates genetically modified organisms (GMOs), saying that, contrary to its purpose, it did not make Polish GMO law compatible with European Union regulations.

Under the previous government, Poland unilaterally adopted a law prohibiting the production, marketing and use of genetically modified animal feed. In June, the European Court of Justice ruled in favor of the European Commission, which contested Poland's unilateral ban on GM seeds.

Poland is therefore required to bring its law up to speed with this ruling, but Mr Komorowski decided that the latest bill did not adequately do so.

The bill will now be sent back to the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament, so that it can be made compatible with EU requirements, the president said in an official statement on Wednesday.

The president has said he himself is not against GMOs, adding that convincing scientific proof that they are harmful to humans or to the environment has yet to be shown. However, he also noted that the bill has not been submitted to public debate, and that this was necessary.

Opinions polls consistently show that the majority of Poles are opposed to GMOs.