Farmers around the world continued to plant more land with genetically modified crops in 2007, according to a biotech industry-sponsored report released Wednesday. Here are key facts from the report issued by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, also known as ISAAA: * Biotech crop acres in 2007 totaled 114.3 million hectares, or 282.4 million acres, an increase of 12 percent over 2006. * The number of countries planting biotech crops totaled 23, led by the United States with 57.7 million hectares; Argentina with 19.1 million hectares and Brazil with 15 million hectares. * Eight European Union countries, led by Spain with more than 70,000 hectares, planted biotech crops in 2007, up from six in 2006. * Planted biotech crops in the United States include soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, squash, papaya and alfalfa. Biotech soybeans are the most popular GMO crop worldwide, grown on 57 percent of the global biotech area. * ISAAA estimated that global net economic benefit to biotech crop farmers in 2006 was $7 billion. * In 2007 about 9 percent of the planted biotech crop area was devoted to plants for biofuel production with 90 percent of that area in the United States. * ISAAA projects the number of biotech countries and crops and planted area will double between 2006 and 2015. * Leading GMO crops have been modified to resist herbicide and repel pests. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE