Europe > Press Room > Environmental Health News >

Europe lacking quality data on GM crops – European Commission

The quality of data on the socio-economic impacts of genetically-modified (GM) crops in Europe is generally poor and not objective, the European Commission said on Friday. It released a report on the issue based on data submitted by EU countries. Among the few conclusions that can be drawn from the report is that when weed or pest pressure is high, farmers cultivating herbicide-tolerant or pest-resistant GM crops could benefit from higher yields. The report was requested by environment ministers in 2008. The eight member states with present or past experience with GM cultivation – the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden – provided the most data. Spain said it has increased crop yields. But there is little information on social impacts and effects along the food chain. To improve data quality, the report calls for a robust set of socio-economic indicators and rules for data collection. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will publish the results of a consultation on the risk assessment of GM in the summer.