June 4, 2007

Germany allows Monsanto's genetically modified corn

The German government Friday (Jun 1) approved several new types of genetically modified corn to be planted in six of the nation's 16 states, saying tests had shown the crops would pose no danger to humans or livestock.

Germany's Ministry for Consumer Protection said that Monsanto, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri, was allowed to plant the four types of corn in fields up to 5,000 square metre in pre-approved locations in the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania, Saxony Anhalt, Saxony, Hesse and Bavaria.

The crops have been altered to be resistant to certain worms.

The ministry ordered a 200-metre border of fallow land surrounding each field, in an effort to prevent cross-pollination with other, nearby crops.

The issue of genetically modified foods is a sensitive one on both sides of the Atlantic. European governments such as Germany and France, as well as a number of environmental groups, contend that many such crops are unsafe for humans and the environment.