* EU executive to make GMO decision as soon as possible
* Farm chief says farmers face feed crunch
* France's Le Maire says position has not changed
(Adds details, French Minister, background)
By Bate Felix
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The European Commission will decide quickly on the authorisation of three biotech maize types after European Union farm ministers failed to agree whether to approve them, the EU farm chief said on Monday.
The ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, were unable to reach a majority for or against approval to import genetically modified maize from Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a unit of Dupont.
This paves the way for default approval by the Commission, the 27-nation EU's executive.
Most EU countries stuck to previously held positions. France voted against one of the Monsanto maize varieties, Denmark voted to authorise all three, and Germany abstained.
"The position of France has not varied by an iota on this issue. We want to guarantee health and environmental security for consumers," French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters.
"When we believe there is a risk, even minimal for health or the environment, we will always oppose the GMOs."
The EU's agriculture commissioner said earlier on Monday the European Commission would have to make a quick decision to authorise the GM maize by default to relieve pressure on the livestock sector if the ministers failed to agree.
"I regret very much that the ministers do not understand the consequence of the decision that they might take today," EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel told reporters before the farm ministers met.
"I hope the Commission can decide as soon as possible because this is really urgent," Fischer Boel said.
SENSITIVE ISSUE
Genetically modified food is a sensitive issue in many EU countries, such as France, Austria and Poland, with many people hostile to what they call "Frankenstein foods."
EU law allows for GMO authorisations to be rubber-stamped when ministers cannot agree after a certain time.
Since 2004, the Brussels-based European Commission has approved a string of GM products, nearly all maize, in this way, outraging green groups.
The European Union does not allow the presence of any other GMO on its territory, even in tiny amounts, until approval for that specific GM product is granted.
Shipments of soy with traces of unauthorised GMOs have in recent months been blocked from entering the EU in Spain and Germany, raising concerns that Europe could face a shortage of high-protein soybean and soy meal, used as livestock feed.
"I hope that the situation is resolved because it will have an important impact on the price of animal feed," said Padraig Walshe, president of farmers union Copa-Cogeca.
"Europe imports 32 million tonnes of soybean and the zero-tolerance policy that is there is increasing the pressure on the price of feed," he said.