Potatoes, hemp and plum trees also being tested
Czechs are at the top of the list when it comes to cultivating
genetically modified corn, Právo wrote on Thursday.


Between 2005 and 2008, the amount of farmland devoted to GM corn has
risen from 207 to 8,000 hectares, putting the Czech Republic in third
place in Europe in terms of GM corn production, behind France and Spain.

Czech farmers grow the MON 810 type of corn, which is resistant to
parasites, said Zuzana Doubková, environment ministry spokeswoman.

The GM corn, which has been approved by the EU, is used exclusively as
feed or for bioethanol production, and, like other GM products, is
subject to stringent health and environmental regulations, Doubková
said.

The Czech Republic is presently testing other possible GM products such
as potatoes, hemp and plum trees.

All producers, vendors and traders of products with a GM content have to
indicate this fact on the labels, if the GM content is over 0.9 percent.
The exception is meat, eggs and milk from animals fed with GM products,
such as corn or imported soybeans.

www.checkbiotech.org