EXTRACT: In 2004 farmers planted 120 hectares of organic maize in Aragon. All the crop that was eventually sampled was found to contain GMOs and the following year Aragon logged only 37 hectares of organic grain...

RESOURCES: see also 'GMO contamination in Spain: a warning for Europe - Impossible Coexistence: Seven years of GMOs have contaminated organic and conventional maize: an examination of the cases of Catalonia and Aragon'
http://eu.greenpeace.org/downloads/gmo/impossiblecoexistence060404.pdf

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GMO traces pressure Spain's organic maize farmers
Julia Hayley
Reuters, 31 October 2006 [via Agnet]

MADRID - Organic farmers in Spain are, according to new figures cited in this story, abandoning maize after finding traces of genetically modified (GMO) strains in their crops.

The amount of contamination is small, less than one percent, but environmental groups and organic farmers say they fear bigger problems ahead.

Organic and GMO maize is concentrated in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia, where organic food has to be certified by regional government-run agencies.

In 2004 farmers planted 120 hectares of organic maize in Aragon. All the crop that was eventually sampled was found to contain GMOs and the following year Aragon logged only 37 hectares of organic grain, data from the regional organic farming committee CAAE show.

The story says that Spain is the European Union country where GMO maize is making most progess. Some 46 varieties are now permitted, GMO lobby group Antama says.

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