Despite the opposition of 19 EU members and of the European Parliament, the European Commission gave the green light earlier this month to the cultivation of Pioneer 1507, a US-developed maize variety. Environmentalists say the genetically modified crop produces a toxin harmful to butterflies and moths. France and Italy were among the countries that voted against it. As for the Yes camp, it included Spain, Europe's biggest grower of another GM maize: MON 810.

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