The sowing of genetically modified (GM) corn on 30 small farm fields in seven German states for mostly research purposes has unleashed a political uproar that appears likely to grow even louder in coming weeks.

Research coordinators and the three seed companies involved—Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and the German-based firm KWS SAAT—did not publicly announce the project until after the genetically modified seeds to resist corn borer were safely in the soil, to protect them from activists.

Since announcing the project recently, project coordinators, seed companies, and government officials have steadfastly refused demands from the environmental organization Greenpeace and opposition politicians to reveal locations of the farm fields—26 of which are owned by private farmers, with the remaining four fields on public land.

Helga Klein, of the German Plant Breeders' Association (BDP), which is helping coordinate the project, told The Scientist that a total of about 300 hectares of GM corn had been planted.

The prime research goal is to determine if GM corn has any effect on neighboring non-GM corn fields, Klein said. Each GM field is surrounded by 60 meters of conventional (non-GM) corn, meaning that in total between 900 and 1000 hectares of land is involved in the project. All corn involved in the project will be used as animal feed, adding a commercial dimension to the project, she said.

The seed companies hope to collect scientific evidence that demonstrates that GM corn will not contaminate nearby conventional corn fields, she said, adding that some opponents of the technology in Germany have demanded laws that require GM fields to be up to 2 kilometers from conventional fields.

In recent years, environmental activists in Germany have destroyed GM corn fields and harassed participating farmers and their families, she said.

To avoid disruptions from anti-GM activists, Klein said coordinators and seed companies decided not to reveal privately owned field locations to government officials or other public officials who might be legally required to release the information.

Earlier this spring in Germany, agribusiness firm Syngenta had to replant a GM wheat test field damaged by activists. But activists hit the replanted field again on May 4, canceling this year's field test.

Klein said of Greenpeace: “Whenever we tell them where [GM crop] fields are, they destroy them.” Acknowledging that the issue is highly emotional for some, she said: “It's going to be a long summer.”

Henning Strodthoff, gene technology expert at Greenpeace in Hamburg, told The Scientist that keeping the location of GM farm fields secret was a violation of European GM crop regulations.

“This secrecy is totally unacceptable and is against democratic principles,” Strodthoff said, adding that non-GM farmers have the right to know the location of GM farm fields.

Andreas Thierfelder, director of public affairs for Monsanto's German subsidiary Monsanto Agrar Deutschland GmbH, disputed Strodthoff's assertion that EU law requires that the location of the GM farm fields be made public.

Thierfelder told The Scientist that the GM planting on 26 of the 30 farm fields was a private matter between the seed companies and participating farmers, who he said had paid full price for the GM corn seeds and who received no other compensation for participating in the project. The seed companies signed contracts prohibiting them from revealing the locations of farm fields without approval of the respective farmers, he said.

The seed companies have contributed €110,000 toward the estimated €300,000 needed to finance project research, Thierfelder said.

The idea of GM foods in general creates unease in Europe, and for the past 6 years, there has been a moratorium on selling GM foods. But that may soon end, according to a report in the New York Times, which stated that European Commission spokesmen said commissioners were expected to approve an insect-resistant sweet corn developed by Syngenta at its weekly meeting on Wednesday (May 19). The approval would be for human consumption only, allowing imports of the corn from outside the European Union.