Genetically modified organisms: The strategy of coexistence / The reality in the field

The latest Eurobarometer survey on science and technology shows that a third of Europeans are hostile to GMOs, another third are favourable and the rest do not know what to think. Faced with this divided public opinion, neither a radical ban nor total freedom without a safety net is the answer. Hence the EU’s democratic option of giving the consumer freedom of choice. For this to be a real choice, however, there must be contained but transparent coexistence of the ‘genetically modified’ and ‘conventional’ agri-foodstuff chains. This is the challenge researchers on the Co-ExTra project are currently seeking to meet.

Much of the ‘militant’ opposition to GMOs has focused on the impact of transgenic crops on other agricultural productions and on the natural botanical environment. This raises the all-important question of the tools available to prevent this genetic contamination in the field. RTD info takes a close look at the European SIGMEA project, leading research investigating a very complex issue.