16 countries to refuse from growing GM products

As many as 16 countries of the European Union have announced their decision to opt out of GM crops. The countries will no longer be cooperating with GMO produce of such major companies as Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta and Pioneer, EntryNews.com reports. 

Germany, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria and Cyprus have recently filed their requests and applications, increasing the number to 16. In August, Scotland publicly said it would prohibit GMO crops out of concern that they could damage the country's "clean and green" brand. 

Also read: When is it time for genetically modified humans?

"Scotland is known around the world for our beautiful natural environment - and banning growing genetically modified crops will protect and further enhance our clean, green status," Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said in a statement at the time.

"A growing number of governments are rejecting the commission's drive for GM crop approvals," Greenpeace's E.U. food policy director Franziska Achterberg told the Guardian. "They don't trust the E.U. safety assessments and are rightly taking action to protect their agriculture and food. The only way to restore trust in the E.U. system now is for the commission to hit the pause button on GM crop approvals and to urgently reform safety testing and the approval system."