Austria: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Austria continues to be one of the leading forces in Europe opposed to the use of agricultural biotechnology. Austria was an initiator and always a supporter of the “opt-out” legislation for cultivation of biotech crops. The Austrian implementation of a nation-wide biotech cultivation ban (according to EU directive 2015/412) has been published in August 2015. Austrian opposition to biotech crops is a major controversial factor during the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). All major political parties have enshrined anti-biotech policies. NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs), farmer organizations, the food-processing sector, and the retail sector all have marketing campaigns promoting genetically engineered (GE)-free foods. Soybeans are the only major GE product imported by Austria. Furthermore, Austria is promoting the local production
of non-biotech soybeans in the Danube region.
