Monsanto, the US agricultural group, has abandoned its decade-long bid for permission to grow a range of genetically modified crops on European soil. The move comes shortly after Owen Paterson, the UK environment minister, warned that Europe was missing out on one of the most important agricultural advances since the 18th century. That conclusion is premature.
GM crops are rare in Europe but widely grown elsewhere; modified varieties account for about 90 per cent of all corn, cotton and soybeans planted in the US. Most have been engineered to resist harmful insects and to withstand glyphosate, a type of weedkiller. This enables farmers to achieve high yields.
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