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Europe sees sharp decline in GMO research

Nature Biotechnology volume 21, pages 468–469 (2003)Cite this article

Field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in the European Union (EU) have plummeted by 87% since 1998, according to a European Commission (EC) investigation. The last European approval for GM crop planting was granted in October 1998, and in 1999 the EU placed a formal moratorium on all new marketing applications for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until a new legal framework could be agreed on. As a result, requests to start European field trials of GM crops have fallen from the 1998 peak of 254 to only 61 in 2001 and an estimated 33 in 2002. By contrast, notifications of GM trials in the US are running at between 900 and 1,100 a year.

Two-thirds of large agroscience companies have cancelled at least one GMO research project during the same period, says the EC's Joint Research Commission (JRC) in its review of the state of GMO research in Europe. Its survey of private companies and research institutions working in the field cited the unclear legal situation, low public acceptance of GM products, and an uncertain market situation as the top three reasons for cancellation.

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    Peter Mitchell

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Mitchell, P. Europe sees sharp decline in GMO research. Nat Biotechnol 21, 468–469 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0503-468

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