Spain's GM controls attacked

Environmental groups in Spain have criticized the government for expanding the production of genetically modified (GM) crops without carefully controlling and monitoring their impact on the environment.

Spain is currently the only country in the European Union that allows GM crops to be grown on a commercial scale. Also, Spain imports millions of tons of corn and soy from countries that grow large-scale GM crops.

Liliane Spendeler from Friends of the Earth in Spain, who has written a report on the impact of GM crops in the country, criticized the government for failing to keep a central register of all GM crops.

“The government does not give us exact figures,” she told The Scientist. “The only figures we can get are the sale of the GM seeds from companies.”

Helen Groome from the Union of Basque Farmers also criticized the government for failing to control the spread and impact of ...