Fickle European GM policies stifle competition, say experts
Food Navigator published an article on the negative views still held by much of Europe on genetically modified organisms. The article quotes Natalie Moll, a director at Europabio, the European Association for Bioindustries several times throughout the article on such topics as the approval process in Europe, competition around the world, University research and bans in EU member states of GM crops.
C.S. Prakash
Fickle European GM policies stifle competition, say experts
Food Navigator
February 4, 2008
The unstable political situation surrounding the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops is restricting university research and pushing small companies out of the arena, thereby restricting competition, said a GM expert.
Natalie Moll, a director at Europabio, the European Association for Bioindustries, told FoodNavigator.com: "The agricultural industry is lacking courageous people who are willing to take the chances in an area where the market is uncertain. Only big companies can survive."
As European member states struggle to agree on a biotech policy, with different countries applying their own bans and restrictions on GM research and cultivation, research and development is being sacrificed.
At the moment, the only type of GM crop grown in the EU is maize, which was approved in 1998. It is not cultivated for human consumption, but for animal feed only.
GM crop cultivation is expanding in Europe, with over 110,000 hectares of biotech crops harvested in seven EU member states last year, representing a 77 per cent increase.
