Biotech Updates

European Union Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Report

August 28, 2013

A Global Agricultural Information Network report on Agricultural Biotechnology in the European Union (EU) was recently released by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The document describes how various stakeholders  remain conflicted about the use of agricultural biotechnology such that acceptance varies greatly among adopters, the conflicted, and opposed Member States (MS). Government policy in the EU and MS on plant and animal biotechnology is complex and lengthy that slows down and limits research, development, production, and imports. There are however five MS which have increased planting of geneticially modified corn and the EU has been a major consumer of million tons of genetically modified soybean and corn products imported every year. It has been increasingly difficult and expensive for EU companies to source non-biotech products and ingredients for food products that are labeled as non-GMO.

See the full report at http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Agricultural%20Biotechnology%20Annual_Paris_EU-27_7-12-2013.pdf.