Transgenic plants

Transgenic plants have been engineered to possess several desirable traits, including resistance to pests, herbicides or harsh environmental conditions, improved product shelflife, and increased nutritional value. Since the first commercial cultivation of genetically modified plants in 1996, they have been modified to be tolerant to the herbicides glufosinate and glyphosate, to produce the Bt toxin, a potent insecticide.
Whenever GM plants are grown on open fields without containment, there are risks that their genetically altered seeds will escape into the general environment.[citation needed] This occurred on Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser's farm in Bruno, Sakatchewan, Canada and led to a controversial court ruling regarding seed patents of the multinational corporation Monsanto. 75% of all farmers on earth depend on saved seeds to plant their farms each season and cross-pollination or any other natural process that may bring a GM organism to a farmer's land put's the farmer under infringement of patents. Most countries require biosafety studies prior to the approval of a new GM plant release, usually followed by a monitoring program to detect environmental impacts.[citation needed]
The coexistence of GM plants with conventional and organic crops has raised significant concern in many European countries. Since there is separate legislation for GM crops and a high demand from consumers for the freedom of choice between GM and non-GM foods, measures are required to separate foods and feed produced from GMO plants from conventional and organic foods. European research programmes such as Co-Extra, Transcontainer and SIGMEA are investigating appropriate tools and rules. At the field level, biological containment methods include isolation distances and pollen barriers.