Bulgaria bans cultivation of GM maize

(SOFIA) - Bulgaria's government announced Wednesday it was banning the cultivation of the MON 810 strain of genetically modified maize produced by US firm Monsanto.

In a statement, the government cited "cautiousness" and a desire to safeguard Bulgarian farming and the environment from contamination risks to motivate its decision.

MON 810 maize and BASF's Amflora potatoes are the only GM crops allowed to be grown in Europe under certain restrictions.

However the European Union has granted individual countries the right to ban GM crops even if they are approved and deemed safe by the bloc.