Country Reports Coexistence in Spain

The Royal law on co-existence harmonises an agricultural situation that has been reality for more than eight years and during which problems have not been documented. The law refers to the ability of farmers to choose between the production of organic, conventional and genetically modified crops. Under this law, specific co-existence regulations are established for the cultivation of maize.  According to these regulations, assuring that accidental mixing between GMO and conventional cultures remains under the legal labelling threshold of 0.9 percent, co-existence requires an isolation distance of 50 meters and four buffer plantings.

To monitor and control all aspects related to co-existence, both Ministries annually will devise a National Plan of Supervision. This plan will include all inspections and analyses required for the surveillance and evaluation of the legislation on co-existence, as well as for the cultivation and the commercialisation of the products. To verify the success of the co-existence measures required, it will also monitor the presence of GMOs in cultivated and non-cultivated zones adjacent to GMO cultivations.

At least once in each cultivation season, the autonomous regions should inspect a percentage of the GM fields. This percentage is set by the Royal law. The inspection will ensure the observance of isolation distances, the use of seeds, and the maintenance of good agricultural practices. To verify the adequate use of harvesters and the physical separation and labelling of batches for diverse destinies, a second inspection will take place during the harvest.

Further, the Plan of Supervision articulates the organisation of information programmes for farmers, as well as outlining recommendations for the control of adventitious plants and for the sowing of conventional varieties.  In July 2006, MAPA presented the second version of the draft of the Royal law on co-existence, which recommends the obligation of a minimum isolation distance of 220 metres. This was in contradiction to a scientific report ordered by the Ministry which had indicated that a distance of 20 to 25 metres, or 4 to 6 rows, should be used as a barrier to keep the adventitious presence of GMO below 0.9 percent.

See also on GMO-Compass:

• Coexistence: Different Agricultural Systems Working Side by Side