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According to a study published by "Biotechnology Australia", public support for genetically modified food crops has risen dramatically. Due to perceptions of the role they may play in countering drought and pollution, acceptance grew from 46 percent in 2005 to 73 percent in 2007.

The Australian Minister of Industry Ian MacFarlane has interpreted the results as a major change in public attitudes towards biotechnology. "When asked if GM crops should be grown in their state, 50 percent of respondents from all states said 'Yes', with a further 30 percent approving as long as they were strongly regulated," he stated in a press release. "This marks a significant change in public attitudes and coincides with an increased confidence in science across society."

Seeking to understand what benefits people want from biotech, the survey was developed with input from industry, research and non-government organisations. The highest values placed on applications pertained to the eradication of pollution (97%), the development of environmentally friendly fuels (97%), the recycling of water (96%) and assistance in addressing climate change (91%).

The governmental agency "Biotechnology Australia" was established in 1999 and is responsible for managing the Australian strategy on biotechnology and for coordinating non-regulatory issues for the Australian Government.

The Council of the EU Agricultural Ministers did not reach agreement on Monday on approval of the genetically modified potato Amflora. The recommendation by the European Commission to approve Amflora from BASF Plant Science for cultivation and industrial use did not gain a qualified majority in the Council. The decision is now returned to the Commission.

A spokesperson for the EU Environment Commissioner Dimas said that the EU Commission subsequently will approve the Amflora potato. The Commission backs its decision with a scientific assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that found no safety concerns for the new plant variety. Such a decision by the Commission would represent the first approval of a genetically modified plant in the EU since 1998. A second application of the Amflora potato for food and feed has been filed, but remains undecided to date.

Amflora is a genetically optimised potato with a different starch composition, making it ideal for technical applications. In contrast to conventional potatoes, which produce starch consisting of amylose and amylopektin, the GM potato produces pure amylopektin starch.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reaffirmed its safety assessment of the genetically modified maize MON863 after French scientists published a re-analysis of the data raising doubts about its safety.

Funded by Greenpeace, the study was published in a scientific magazine by scientists of the French institute CRIIGEN. These scientists re-analysed data from a rat feeding study carried out by the company Monsanto in support of its application to market in the EU and reported that they detected statistically significant effects on the rats. They concluded that this indicated that maize Mon863 might not be safe and that additional feeding experiments over a longer period are required for reliable food safety assessments of MON863.

In giving a considered response to the European Commission on these new safety concerns about MON863, EFSA reacted by undertaking a series of actions. These included setting up a Task Force of internal and external statistical experts to help in assessing the methodology applied by the authors of the new study. In a press statement, EFSA stated that “the new study does not present a sound scientific justification in order to question the safety of the MON863 maize". Therefore, the EFSA GMO Panel sees no reason to revise its previous Opinion that the MON863 maize would not have an adverse effect in the context of its proposed uses.

CRIIGEN replied to EFSA's response in a press statement by appealing to scientists, governmental authorities and the public to question EFSA's scientific methodology.

The French government has agreed to establish a national register of fields with genetically modified crops. The register will be accessible to the general public, according to a press release by the French ministry of agriculture and fisheries.

For each district, the register also will provide the exact field area of GM plantings, which occupy over 19,800 hectares of land declared across the entire country in 2007. The file is comprised of compulsory disclosures made by farmers using GM maize seeds approved in the European Union. The French minister for agriculture, Michel Barnier, stated in a press release that the register forms part of the government policy of transparency.

In recent years, French anti-GMO exponents destroyed several GMO fields which, according to experts, seriously threatens French research in this area.

In 2007, GM plantings again have increased significantly in the USA. According to new statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), GM soy and cotton now have become widely accepted and have replaced most conventional cultivations, which now account for only 10 percent of the total.

The greatest expansion has been observed for maize: compared with 2006, the proportion of GM cultivations in this years’ vegetation period has increased from 61 to 73 percent. As the complete area of maize cultivation has increased by 28 percent, the amount of GM maize cultivations also has grown to 27.4 million hectares, representing a gain of 7.8 million hectares.

In contrast to maize, soy and cotton plantings have declined significantly. However, the proportion of GM varieties has increased further, totalling 91 and 87 percent for soy beans and cotton respectively.

Official statistics from the National Statistics Service (NASS) of the USDA are published every year at the end of June and contain the most recent cultivation figures of the current vegetation period. The compilation is based on information from seed vendors and on representative surveys of farmers.