A report presented at the Agriculture Council on 27 September, concludes that specific measures relating to storing and the application of isolation distances can help limit or avoid the co-mingling of genetically modified (GM) maize with conventional and organic maize. These conclusions are applicable within the Recommendations issued by the Commission in July 2010.

The Best Practice Document, prepared by the European Coexistence Bureau (ECoB) and published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), covers the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize up to the first point of sale. It deals with three types of productions: grain, whole plant and sweet maize.

The document notes in particular that storing seeds adequately and applying spatial isolation are the best ways to limit or avoid co-mingling. Alternative practices based on temporal isolation (shifting flowering times of GM and non-GM fields) are possible in several EU countries with specific climatic conditions.

The European Coexistence Bureau (ECoB) analysed the potential sources of admixture and reached a set of consensually agreed, best agricultural management practices that will ensure coexistence while maintaining the economic and agronomic efficiency of the farm.

For example, among other practices, the ECoB proposes isolation distances of 15-50m to reduce cross-pollination between GM maize and non-GM maize and to limit Genetically modified organisms (GMO) content in conventional food and feed to levels below 0,9% (the legal labelling threshold). Larger distances (100-500 m) are proposed for lower targets of admixture levels (e.g. 0.1%, which is the usual estimate for the limits of quantification).

Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli highlighted that the practises put forward in this document are applicable within the framework of the Commission's new approach to coexistence and GMO cultivation adopted in July. They are in full accordance with the spirit and aims of the proposal, which provides Member States with more flexibility to organise the co-existence of GM, conventional and organic crops.

Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the European Union and Worldwide

In 2009, GM crops were cultivated worldwide on 134 million hectares. The main cultivating countries are the USA (48% of global GMO area), Brazil (16%) and Argentina (16%). The four main GM crops, either insect resistant or herbicide tolerant, are: soybean (77% of global soybean crop area), cotton (49% of global cotton crop area), maize (26% of global maize crop area), and rapeseed (21% of global rapeseed crop area).

In the EU, only three GM crops have been authorised for cultivation:

• Two GM maize products, of which only the insect-resistant Bt maize MON810 is cultivated in the EU.
• One GM potato (GM starch potato, authorised March 2010).