Scotland will ban the use of all genetically modified crops, according to the country's rural affairs minister. The country—which has been under majority rule of the Scottish National Party since 2011—wants to take advantage of new EU rules that allow devolved legislatures to restrict or ban the cultivation of GMOs. If successful, Scotland will face increased competition from farmers south of the border, where Conservative policy allows for cultivation of the controversial crops.

"Banning growing genetically modified crops will protect and further enhance our clean, green status," said rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead in a statement. "There is no evidence of significant demand for GM products by Scottish consumers and I am concerned that allowing GM crops to be grown in Scotland would damage our clean and green brand, thereby gambling with the future of our £14 billion food and drink sector."

Lochhead’s announcement was met with apprehension from the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS). "This is simply going to make us less competitive," NFUS vice president Andrew McCornick told the Scotsman. "There is going to be one side of the Border in England where they may adopt biotechnology, but just across the River Tweed farmers are not going to be allowed to. How are these farmers going to be capable of competing in the same market?"

Scotland's planned ban would affect a variety of genetically modified maize already approved for growth in the country, as well as six other GM crops that are awaiting authorisation. As Ars has previously reported, while there are some concerns around the possible environmental impact of GM crops, there's little scientific evidence to suggest that they're capable of causing any harm upon human consumption.

Huw Jones, professor of molecular genetics at the agricultural science group Rothamsted Research, described the planned ban as "a sad day for science and a sad day for Scotland," adding that GM crops approved by the EU were "safe for humans, animals and the environment." Conservative MSP ­Murdo Fraser also condemned the ban, saying, "All the "SNP's stance will do is drive research out of Scotland into other parts of the UK and Europe and send the message that this Government prefers superstition to science."

While the EU and US have approved the use of GM crops, they remain a controversial topic politically, and to the public. Earlier this year, burrito chain Chipotle became the first major US chain to ban GM ingredients from all its food, citing a vision for "changing the way people think about and eat fast food." However, while not every GM crop has been a success story, many have shown significant benefits.

Recent research led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences used a gene from barley to create a genetically modified rice plant that led to a 50 percent boost in rice production, along with a 90 percent drop in methane. There's also evidence to suggest that nature itself has been genetically modifying crops, with scientists finding that the sweet potato had a set of genes naturally inserted into its genome by bacteria—the same bacteria often used to create GM plants.