EU nations vote against GM crops
A majority of EU countries voted on Monday against allowing two new genetically modified crops to be grown in Europe, batting the contentious decision on cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Europe back to the EU executive.
EU governments were asked to vote on the future of two grades of GM maize, Pioneer's 1507 and Syngenta's Bt11, which kill insects by producing their own pesticide and are also resistant to a particular herbicide. However, the votes against were not decisive in blocking their introduction because the opposition did not represent a "qualified majority" - also including countries that make up at least 65 percent of the EU population.
The governments were also asked to determine whether to extend authorisation for Monsanto's MON810, an insect-resistant maize that is grown mainly in Spain, but banned in a number of other countries.
More countries voted against than in favor, but again the vote was not considered decisive. The European Commission said the outcome counted as a "no opinion", meaning it would have to step in to take the decisions for GMOs that had received favourable opinions from the European Food Safety Authority.
Read more at Deutsche Welle