The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently issued its annual report on biotechnology in the European Union (E.U.). The FAS said there are seven member states commercially producing genetically-engineered (GE) crops, with Spain being the largest producer. GE policies vary greatly between countries under the E.U. policy framework. Coexistence frameworks have been set up in most member states, or are currently being prepared, though five member states continue to maintain national bans.

 

The E.U. is a major consumer of biotech products, mainly soybean meal imported to feed livestock and poultry, with at least 80% of E.U. soy crush estimated to be genetically modified. Finally, agricultural biotechnology research in Europe is declining, mainly because of political pressure, the FAS said.

 

In the past several years, yield benefits and cost savings of GE crops have made them attractive to E.U. farmers, and the production of biotechnology crops (currently only one corn event) continues to expand in certain member states. Despite regulatory restrictions and political threat, the area devoted to biotech corn is expected to increase to approximately 110,000 hectares in 2009, mainly in Spain, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia and Germany.

 

Virtually all member states have transcribed E.U. Directive 2001/18 and implement E.U. regulations on GE traceability and labeling. Most member states have set up national coexistence frameworks for biotech and non-biotech crops, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia. Others, such as France, Spain and the United Kingdom, are currently preparing coexistence rules, the FAS noted. Some member states continue to maintain national bans on GE crops, including Austria, France, Greece, Hungary and Italy.

 

The main uses of biotech products are in animal feed, human food, planting seeds and the textile industry. They consist of soybeans and products, corn and its derivatives and cotton. The largest categories of GE products consumed primarily consist of soybean meal, where GE products are estimated to represent 80-95%, and of corn and corn products (mainly corn gluten feed), in which GE products are estimated to account for only 10-25%.

 

While research in agricultural biotechnology is a stated priority of the European Commission and many member states, many research scientists have either been forced to drop activities due to political pressure or have moved to institutions (particularly in the United States) where support for such research is undeterred, the FAS said. This reduction in research activities has also translated into a reduction in field trials, which have also suffered from actions of intimidation by activist groups.