Brussels Blocks Austrian Attempt to Create GM-Free Zone

A movement against genetically-modified crops in Europe appears to be no match for the powerful US biotechnology lobby. The European Union, bowing to pressure from the US representatives to the World Trade Organization, is well on its way to lifting its 5-year old moratorium on GM crop approvals. The latest battle was won by pro-GM forces this week when the EU Commission told Upper Austria that it could not establish a GM-free zone to protect local animals and organic farming. GM foes in England, however, remain undeterred, claiming that the ruling does not affect prohibitions on individual crops enacted in some localities. – YaleGlobal