1.) North America

• The United States- Today, the United States is the world’s leading genetically modified nation in terms of the area under cultivation and public acceptance of transgenic food. GM crops are literally everywhere and continue to grow, as they are used in food for both humans and animals. Currently, the U.S. does not require labelling of transgenic foods.
• Canada- The situation in Canada is quite similiar to that in The United States, where corn, soya beans, and canola are the most widely grown. However, there is a growing concern in both Canada and the U.S. of the introduction of GM wheat into farming. Canadian farmers, in particular, fear that the introduction of transgenic varieties will destroy their foreign markets, especially in Japan, where GM products are not welcomed by consumers.
• Mexico- Mexico is host to one of the oldest and most diverse varieties of maize in the world, so in order to protect genetic heritage, banned GM maize five years ago. Research has shown that GM maize is imported into the country for food and could have cross bred with some of the organic varieties because labelling of transgenic foods is not required

2.) South America

• Brazil- Recently, the country has approving the planting of GM soya beans for the year’s growing season, which would lead to permanent legalization of the crop. Regardless of the fact that in 1998 Brazil had banned GM crops, researchers invested in the issue of genetic modification continued to plant transgenic crops. It is believed that as much as 80% of soya bean crop is transgenic in some states of the country. These seeds were no doubt imported from neighboring country, Argentina, where the government is largely in support of GM.

3.) Europe

• The European Union is believed to begin approving commercial plantings of GM crops again, after a five year hiatus. Much of the controversy over introduction of transgenic crops has been removed now that the EU has determined a set of rules and regulations regarding the labelling and tracking of GM produce. However, it is expected that individual states will fight for GM-free areas in case any unforseen events transpire after their implementation.

4.) Africa

• Currently, South Africa is the only country in Africa with a developed commercial sector. Many agritech industries see other African countries are important testing grounds for their GM products and are presently trying to persuade their governments and peoples.

5.) Asia

• India- India could become a huge ground for transgenic cotton, as it is the world’s leading producer of cotton. Attitudes concerning GM crops are more influenced by national pride, where the focus is in opposition to the foreign corporations rather than homegrown technologies. Generally speaking, the government supports domestic research, and are currently working on some homegrown transgenic crops. However, the government recently banned the the import of maize-soya flour from US aid agencies after several environmental organizations protested their potential GM content.

• China- The country was ploughing ahead with efforts to commercially introduce GM crops into the nation, but suddenly backed off in 2000. China claims the shying away is due to the risks associated with transgenic crops, but critics have argued that the country is actually stalling until they can compete in foreign markets with their own domestic brands of transgenic crops.

• Japan- Currently, 35 food plants have been given approval to plant transgenic crops and 55 have passed the country’s food safety provisions. However, none are being planted or cultivated on a commercial scale because of the lack of consumer demand.

6.) Australia

• Australia- Currently farmers can only plant up 30% of their cotton crop using transgenic varieties, in order to reduec the likelihood of insects and pests developing a resistance to insecticidal toxins. However, a new version of the cotton has recently been approved, which will allow farmers to cover up to 80% of their land using transgenic varieties because this newer version produces two insecticidal toxins.

*All information referenced from here (7).

 

** Click here for a chart comparing the prevalance of GM crops in the U.S. and South Africa, as well as a global average use of transgenic crops. GM Crops