France: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
France has no commercial production or field trials of genetically engineered (GE) crops. Some fundamental research is being conducted in labs. The French livestock industry is dependent upon imported GE products to meet its feed needs. Public opinion is generally opposed to using biotechnology for agriculture and food production while most scientists and farmers are supportive of the technology. Some in the French administration and anti-biotech activists welcomed the July 2018 judgment of the European Court of Justice that organisms created through genome editing techniques are to be regulated as GE organisms. Scientists and the main farm organizations warn that it could harm research and agriculture in the EU. Animal biotechnology is primarily used in medical research.
