EU study calls for research on GMO benefits

Future EU scientific research on genetically modified crops needs to include potential benefits rather than just safety issues, concludes a paper from the European Commission’s Research Directorate General. The authors reviewed EU-funded research since 1982, including work under the food and agriculture section of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme. “Given that GMOs so far have not been proven to be more environmentally harmful than conventional crops, future research needs to include the potential benefits of GMOs as compared to baseline conditions (eg conventional agriculture and organic farming),” they state.