Massive rise in Europe GM crops

[formercia]

Source: BBC

By Tom Heap
BBC News


Figures published on Monday show the area planted with genetically modified crops in Europe has grown by 77% since last year.

This year more than 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of GM maize was harvested.

The biotech industry says this proves its products are appealing to farmers and are safe for the environment.

The only genetically modified crop grown widely in Europe is maize resistant to the corn borer - a moth larva which eats the stem.

The maize is cultivated for animal feed - not for human consumption.

Planted in Spain for the last 10 years, the maize is now proving popular in France where the acreage has tripled in a year and also in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7066878.stm

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Spain seems to be determined to maintain their image as a Third World country.

[jordi_fanclub]

1. Usual GM corporations propaganda...

386 sq miles IS exactly an area of less than 20 miles x 20 miles.

Still too much area but... BAD attempt to promote that GM's POS!

("unfortunately" a calculator program is integrated in any PC) :yoiks:

[TheWraith]

2. It's more easily expressed as 250k acres or 100k hectares.

That's about 4% of the total corn-growing area of France, Germany, and Spain.

[Igel]

3. I took it precisely opposite.

"BBC and Friends of the Earth hyteria mongering."

With a rebuttal from the GM corporations.

But to resolve the issue we'd have to know why the reporter wrote it/was assigned it, and where the first "tip" came from.

[lovuian]

4. But what about the Bees

they are still dying off
could it be GMO plants we shall see

[Odin2005]

5. It's from a pesticide, or so I've heard.

Not that anti-GMO people care about facts, anyway...

[arikara]

6. I've heard it could be from many causes

perhaps a combination of things has caused a tipping point. Causes such as pesticides weakening them, increased radiation from cell phone usage messing with their internal navigation... frankenfoods aka GMO's - not that the GMO proponents would ever admit that their idiotic mucking around with nature would ever create problems.