Organic farmers in Spain are abandoning maize after finding traces of genetically modified (GMO) strains in their crops, figures show. The amount of contamination is small, less than one percent, but environmental groups and organic farmers say they fear bigger problems ahead. Organic and GMO maize is concentrated in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia, where organic food has to be certified by regional government-run agencies.

In 2004 farmers planted 120 hectares of organic maize in Aragon. All the crop that was eventually sampled was found to contain GMOs and the following year Aragon logged only 37 hectares of organic grain, data from the regional organic farming committee CAAE show. Forty percent of the 2005 crop had traces of GMOs, and this year farmers planted only 25 hectares of organic maize, which is now being tested for GMO content.

Conventional maize has to be labelled as genetically modified if tests show it has more than 0.9 percent of GMO material. But for an organic crop that threshhold is zero and the price difference, if it loses its organic label, is substantial. Spain is the European Union country where GMO maize is making most progess. Some 46 varieties are now permitted, GMO lobby group Antama says.

The European Commission has issued guidelines on how farmers should separate organic, conventional and biotech crops, but instead of pushing for EU-wide legislation it has asked member states to draw up national plans. Some countries like Germany, Denmark and Italy already have national plans, but others such as France and Spain are still working on them.

GMO expansion
Since 1998, when it was first allowed, gene-modified maize has grown steadily to reach 58,000 hectares, or 12 percent of all the maize grown in Spain, far more than in any other EU country. All of it is destined for the animal feed industry. Monsanto, a major producer of GMO seed, said cross-pollination was possible when crops were planted side by side, but that there were no proven cases in Spain where non-GMO maize exceeded the 0.9 percent GMO limit which, under EU rules, divides GMO from non-GMO crops.

"If the organic committee decides to impose a different limit (zero), the problem is between the farmer and the organic committee," says Jaime Costa, Monsantos director of regulatory and scientific affairs in Spain. Organic maize farmers are suffering, says David Olmo of the Aragon Organic Agriculture Committee (CAAE). "In Aragon, organic maize crops have been disqualified because of containing 0.03 percent GMO," he said. "That forces farmers to sell this maize as standard so that instead of 35 pesetas (0.2 euros) a kilo for their organic maize they get 24 pesetas."

Organic farming and environmental groups say they are worried that more GMO crops will follow. Asked whether new crops would be approved soon, the Agriculture Ministry said: "There are requests for clearance for new genetically modified crops like cotton, rapeseed, potatoes, carnations, rice, beetroot and soy." Clearance has to come from the EU, it added.
(Por Julia Hayley, Planet Ark, 1º/11/2006)