Biotech Food Tears Rifts in Europe

By: Elisabeth Rosenthal ATHENS ? In this famously fractious country, there is one thing on which almost all Greeks agree: They do not want genetically modified crops grown, sold or eaten here. “All political parties are opposed,” said Theodore Koliopanos, a legislator and former deputy environment minister, “which is odd because we disagree on everything else.” Greece and a few other countries in the European Union that have banned genetically modified organisms are on the front lines of a war over the future of modified food in Europe, the only large swath of the world that does not already grow or buy the crops. Facing international pressure and a lawsuit brought by the United States, Canada and Argentina at the World Trade Organization, the union said this year that all member states must open their doors to genetically engineered crops and prepare practical and legal regulations to ensure safety for health and the environment. But five countries have imposed eight different types of bans. Many others use their votes in Europe’s Council of Ministers to block the crops from entering. The battle does more than pit the World Trade Organization against the European Union. It also creates a divide across […]

Read More