List Of The 38 Countries That Have Now Banned GMOs

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Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are a group of plants, animals, and bacteria which are engineered for various applications, from agricultural production to scientific research. ^[1] While the only food products in the market that are genetically modified are those approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the negative effect of GMOs on environmental and human health are still raising concerns.

Many countries have taken safety measures and banned GMO crops from being cultivated and sold due to the aforementioned health and environmental concerns, although some countries still allow the import of GMO products. ^[2]

Here are the countries that have banned the cultivation and / or imports of genetically modified organisms: ^[2][3]

Africa
1. Algeria (Cultivation allowed. Imports banned.)
2. Madagascar (Cultivation allowed. Imports banned.)

Asia
3. Turkey (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
4. Kyrgyzstan (Cultivation banned. Imports banned.)
5. Saudi Arabia (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
6. Bhutan (Cultivation banned. Imports banned.)

Central & North America
7. Belize (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)

South America
8. Venezuela (Cultivation banned. Imports banned.)
9. Peru (Cultivation banned. Imports banned.)
10. Ecuador (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)

Europe
11. Scotland (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
12. Wales (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
13. Northern Ireland (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
14. Germany (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
15. France (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
16. The Netherlands (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
17. Malta (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
18. Cyprus (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
19. Greece (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
20. Bulgaria (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
21. Russia (Cultivation banned. Imports banned.)
22. Serbia (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
23. Croatia (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
24. Italy (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
25. Denmark (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
26. Hungary (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
27. Moldova (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
28. Latvia (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
29. Lithuania (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
30. Austria (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
31. Poland (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
32. Slovenia (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
33. Azerbaijan (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
34. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
35. Luxembourg (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
36. Ukraine (Cultivation banned though laws are widely ignored. Imports allowed.)
37. Norway (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)
38. Switzerland (Cultivation banned. Imports allowed.)

As far as we are aware, this is the full list for countries at the time of writing. However there may be additional counties or states that have banned GMOs – for example:

Counties in California, USA: ^[4]
1. Mendocino (Cultivation banned.)
2. Trinity (Cultivation banned.)
3. Marin (Cultivation banned.)

Sonoma County, California is currently working on banning GMO cultivation (this is a link to more info and support their campaign).

Do you know of any other counties or states that have banned GMOs locally? Let us know in the comments!