New figures from within the genetically modified (GM) food industry show that attempts to cultivate GM crops in the EU are proving unsuccessful
Only around 0.06% of EU farmland was used to grow GM food in 2011, according to a report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a group funded by the biotech industry to promote GM crops.
In the whole of Europe, only Spain saw a noticeable rise in cultivation in 2011, slightly increasing overall figures for Europe after three consecutive years of decline.
In January, BASF, the world’s biggest chemical company, said it was abandoning plans to develop and commercialise GM food in Europe due to opposition from “the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians.”
Recent attempts to introduce GM rice to China and GM aubergine to India have also failed, according to Greenpeace.
Meanwhile, news organisation France 24 has reported that in response to the attempts of the biotech company Monsanto to produce GM crops in India, the country’s government is suing the company for ‘biopiracy’. The company is accused of stealing India’s indigenous plants by re-engineering them into patented varieties.
