Agriculture, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

Under a law signed in March, individual countries can seek exclusion from any approval request for GM cultivation across the EU.

GM crops are widely-grown in the Americas and Asia, but Monsanto's pest-resistant "MON810" is the only variety grown in Europe, where opposition is fierce.

France and Germany have said they are opposed to GM cultivation, and while Britain is in favor, the Scottish government is against.

The EU law has riled the GM industry and the United States, which wants Europe to open its doors fully to U.S. GM crops as part of a planned EU-U.S. free trade deal.

In a statement on Thursday, the European Commission confirmed that so far only Latvia and Greece had asked for opt-outs from Monsanto's request to continue to grow "MON810".

In its formal response to Latvia, seen by Reuters, Monsanto says it will abide by Latvia's request.

At the same time, the company says that the said request "contradicts and undermines the scientific consensus on the safety of "MON810"".