EU nations vote against GM crops, but not enough to block them

A majority of countries in the European Union voted on Monday against allowing two new genetically modified crops to be grown in Europe, according to two sources. But because the vote didn't reflect a "qualified majority," the final decision will be made by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

EU governments were asked to vote on the future of two grades of GM corn, Pioneer's 1507 and Syngenta's Bt11, which kill insects by producing their own pesticide and are also resistant to a particular herbicide.

The governments also were asked to determine whether to extend authorization for Monsanto's MON810, insect-resistant corn that is grown mainly in Spain, but banned in a number of other counties.

More countries voted against than in favor, but again the vote was not considered decisive.

Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said Juncker has a clear choice to make.


"He can put himself on the side of the majority of countries, citizens and farmers who do not want genetically modified crops, or he can back the mega-corporations behind the industrialization of our countryside," she said.

At the end of last year, 55 GM crops were approved for import as feed and food into Europe. While approved for human consumption, in practice the crops are used as animal feed.

Repeated EU scientific assessments have concluded that GMO crops are as safe for humans and the environment as their conventional counterparts, but consumer opposition to the technology in Europe remains strong.

MON810 is the only GM crop grown in Europe. A potato developed by BASF was granted approval in 2010, but the German company withdrew it in 2012.