The World Embraces GM Crops

In 2008 European Union (EU) farmland growing genetically modified (GM) crops increased by 21.2%. The final total for the EU will actually be higher, as France has not yet compiled their figures, according to AgriFuture.

Large growth occurred in Eastern Europe, according to EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, with GM corn in Romania increasing by 20 times in 2008 when compared to 2007. In Poland, almost 10 times more GM crop was sown and the Czech Republic reported an increase of 67.7%. Spain, however still remains the country with the most GM crops, with Germany trailing slightly behind.

In the U.S., the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) said more than three-quarters of wheat growers, approved a petition supporting the commercialization of biotechnology in wheat. According to NAWG, wheat producers say they would like adding the biotech traits in their arsenal, and national wheat organizations support the biotech commercialization.