Genetically modified crops are grown in 28 nations around the world, while nearly three dozen nations prohibit or ban their cultivation. GMO bans received considerable attention in 2015, when a majority of the European Union nations decided to block the cultivation of new GMOs within their borders and Russia issued a ban on both cultivation and imports.
But most of the nations that prohibit GMO cultivation still allow GMO products – particularly animal feed – to be imported. The nations of Europe, for example, import 30 million tons of GM grain annually. Many other nations – China, Japan and Canada for example – restrict GMO products, but only until they pass regulatory standards.