The area of land dedicated to growing genetically modified (GM) crops in the European Union remains insignificant when compared with conventional and organic farming.
In 2012, GM crops were grown on just 0.12% of arable land in Europe, compared with nearly 4% for organic. Twenty-one member states cultivated no GM crops at all.
Between 2008 and 2012, Germany and Sweden abandoned any cultivation of GM crops. In Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, cultivation of GM crops decreased around 45% in the same period. Only Spain and Portugal saw increases in GM crop cultivation in 2012. Almost ninety per cent of all GM crops in Europe are grown in just one country, Spain.