Speaking before the United States Coast Guard Academy yesterday, President Bush accused the European Union of undermining efforts to end widespread hunger in Africa by banning genetically modified (GM) food. Bush praised “high-yield bio-crops” as key to increasing productivity and ameliorating hunger in developing nations, and claimed the E.U. ban was based on “unfounded, unscientific fears.” The speech, which marked the first time the president has explicitly drawn a connection between world hunger and prohibitions on GM food, is likely to exacerbate the already tense relations between Bush and his European colleagues. Last week, the Bush administration filed a challenge to the European prohibition with the World Trade Organization
