2nd quarter 2004

Good times or bad for genetically engineered crops in the EU?

Monsanto, Dupont and Bayer have already withdrawn their biotech research programmes from England, and early in July Syngenta announced that it would do the same. BASF has warned that it might shift its genetic research from Europe to the USA. KWS is stopping outdoor trials in Germany. Even in the USA, Monsanto withdrew an application to obtain a licence for a herbicide-resistant wheat some weeks ago.

The euphoria that once reigned seems to be giving way to a certain disenchantment. What are the reasons?

The critical attitude of European consumers. Neither the general public nor the farmers seem to want to use or buy genetically modified products. Many marketing chains have announced that they will not market any genetically modified products.Opponents of genetic engineering who destroy outdoor trials and put pressure on producers (for example, of genetically modified (GM) milk).Germany's Genetic Engineering Act with its strict liability rules has prompted the German Farmers' Association to strongly advise its members against cultivating genetically modified plants.The German Insurance Association's announcement that the industry will not insure crop losses arising from cross-pollination. Seed companies, in turn, are also unwilling to hold farmers harmless in the event of claims.

This trend seems to be contradicted by other reports and events, for example, the end of Europe's moratorium on licensing the first GM maize, the constantly growing acreage around the world devoted to growing genetically modified crops, and the hope which the FAO places in genetic engineering in the battle against hunger.

Considered from a global perspective, the spread of GM crops is unstoppable. But where genetically modified crops are going in Germany and Europe is anyone's guess.