Portugal: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Portugal is the European Union’s (EU’s) second largest grower of genetically engineered (GE) corn and a major consumer of genetically engineered (GE) soybean meal in animal feed. While the country’s total corn plantings registered a marginal recovery in 2018, Bt corn area in Portugal registered a nearly 20 percent decline. Farmers have opted for more profitable crop margins and supplying product to food manufacturers, who prefer to use conventional corn in food processing to avoid labeling requirements for products intended for human consumption.