WHILE the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, China and many other countries have warmly embraced genetically modified (GM) crops, Europe remains the world’s big holdout. Could this be about to change?New European Union (EU) rules now seek to clear up years of internal deadlock that could, in theory, lead to widespread -cultivation of GM foods.But the fight is far from over. The EU’s great GM debate pits two powerful forces against each other: green campaigners concerned about the effect of the crops on health and the environment, and the agribusiness lobby, which argues that Europe, by resisting a technology that boosts yields and rural incomes, is losing its place at the forefront of agricultural innovation.Only five EU countries grow GM crops — Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia — and in such tiny quantities that they accounted for less than 0.1% of global GM cultivation last year, says the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications, w...
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