Biotech Updates

Portugal: Three Fold Increase in Areas Planted with GM Maize

February 22, 2008

The Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture has released a statement on the status of transgenic maize cultivation in the country. The report stated that in 2007, Portugal grew genetically modified (GM) maize on a total area of 4,199 hectares, a triple increase in comparison to the previous year. This means that 3.6 percent of the total maize area in the country is planted to the transgenic crop.

Officials from the Agriculture Ministry conducted random inspections to monitor the unintentional crossing of Bt maize to nearby fields. In 38 percent of the probes, the officials were unable to detect GM maize in neighboring conventional maize stands. On the other hand, the proportion of GM maize remained under 0.3 percent  for 80 percent of the probes. It is well below the European Union's 0.9 percent labeling threshold. Coexistence legislation in the country requires a minimum distance of 200 meter between GM and conventional fields.

Read the more at http://www.coextra.eu/news/news1161.html The report is available in http://portal.min-agricultura.pt/portal/page/portal/MADRP/PT/servicos/Imprensa/Documentos/RELAT_ACOMP_2007-OGM2.pdf?_template=%20