Netherlands GMO imports on the rise

MANILA, Philippines - The importation of genetically modified (GM) products by The Netherlands has marked major increases over the past four years, according to the recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Services Report.

According to the report, The Netherlands imported a total of 2.2 million metric tons of GM soybeans from two exporting countries in 2013, up from the total of 1.8 million metric tons in 2012, and 1.6 metric tons in 2011. Last year’s imported GM soybeans came from Brazil at 1.23 million metric tons and 990 thousand metric tons of the same genetically modified product from the United States in 2013.

It also imported a total of 3.4 million metric tons of soybean meal from Brazil and 1.2 million metric tons from Argentina in the same year.

“The Netherlands imports large quantities of genetically-engineered and derived products,” the USDA report noted.

The Netherlands also transships imported GE crops and products to other European Union (EU) member states and re-exports GE materials to non-EU countries, the USDA report added.

“There are no commercial plantings of GE crops, nor is it expected that GE crops will be commercially planted in The Netherlands in the next five years,” the report noted.

The report said however that the Dutch Cabinet has become more open to the possibility of allowing the cultivation of GE crops in The Netherlands. The report quoted the Dutch Cabinet as stating “that the application of biotechnology in agriculture creates added value and can benefit the global food security and sustainability of food production”.

The report also said that the Dutch Farmers Organization “is pragmatic and in favor of planting GE crops.”