The controversy over genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, has raged for decades in Europe

Sugaronline Reports: Sugaronline Editorial - To GM or To Not GM, That is The Question By Meghan Sapp: The controversy over genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, has raged for decades in Europe as Member States have fought to keep transgenic seeds out of their fields as well as close the door to imports—mostly from the US and South America. For some it has been a non-tariff trade barrier, for others a scaremongering tactic and for the small organic movement, a non-starter.

Across the pond, however, GMOs have been the norm for just as long as Europe has been fighting them. Almost all of the maize, soybean, canola, cotton and sugarbeet grown in the US is “Roundup Ready”, meaning that it resists the herbicide glyphosate and therefore allows farmers to—in theory—use less pesticides overall. Even alfalfa now has an approved transgenic variety.