[Raptor235]

Two European countries have stepped opposite directions in the debate on genetically modified organisms (GMO). Just this week, France announced that GMO seeds were suspended from commercial use pending a new assessment. The concern centres around the environmental and health implications of modified crops. France is the largest grain-producing nation in Europe and has remained cautious on the use of GMO seeds. Just one day earlier, Germany announced that a similar suspension had been lifted.

The European Union has approved only one GMO crop - Monsanto’s MON810 maize, also known as YieldGard. This variety of maize (also known as grain corn) was developed to be resistant to the European corn borer, a major agricultural pest, through recombinant DNA techniques. The modified plant produces a form of insecticidal protein derived from a bacterium. This protein, cry1Ab (part of the Bt protein), is specific to lepidopteran insects (moths and butterflies) and cannot bind to mammalian cells. The Bt protein has been part of microbial pesticides for several decades. You can find the entire article here http://aboutmyplanet.com/science-tec...eeing-disagree