NCFA
STUDY SAYS BIOTECH CREATING WIDESPREAD BENEFITS
A
study by the National Center for Food and Agricultural
Policy (NCFAP) says that the widespread adoption of six
biotechnology-derived crops in 2003 increased farmer income,
boosted yields, reduced pesticides, and spurred greater
use of environmentally friendly non-till agriculture. These
six crops are canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean, and
squash.
Sujatha
Sankula and Edward Blumenthal, authors of the study “Impacts
on U.S. Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted
in 2003 – An Update of 11 Case Studies”, note
that “This new technology has revolutionalized agriculture
and is creating widespread economic and environmental benefits.”
The
study revealed that between 2001 and 2003, the number of
U.S. acres planted with these crops increased by 26 million
acres, and that for all six crops, the percentage of acres
planted with biotech varieties also increased. Of the six
crops studied in 2003:
- Biotech
soybeans resulted in the greatest reduction in pesticide
use, (20.1 million pounds) which produced the greatest
economic return for growers (additional $1.2 billion
in income);
- Biotech
corn (especially corn- borer resistant) produced the
highest yield gains (4.9 billion pounds resulting in
an additional $258.4 million for farmers);
- Biotech
cotton led to a significant reduction in pesticide use
(12.9 million pounds) which led to an additional $413.13
million in income for farmers;
- Biotech
canola led to reduced pesticide use of 152,740 pounds,
which helped farmers earn an extra $9 million.
Biotech
adoption rates are expected to increase as new and improved
varieties are brought to the market. In addition, farmers
are seeing the environmental benefits of biotech crops
with more farmers using no-till cultivation practices.
The
2004 study is an update and a reinforcement of the findings
of the June 2002 study by the same Center.
The
complete study is available at http://www.ncfap.org.
GM SOY
APPROVED BY EO IN BRAZIL
President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil has just signed an
executive order that will allow planting and trade of genetically
modified (GM) soy in the 2004-2005 harvest.
Brazilian
farmers can plant GM soy until Dec. 31, 2005, and are free
to sell them until Jan. 31, 2006. Planting of the 2004/05
soybean crop started at the end of last September.
Brazil is second only to the United States in soy production, but may become
the world's largest soy producer, with its cheap land, low labor costs, and
plentiful water. In Rio Grande Do Sul, its southernmost state, 90% of the soy
is GM in origin, as the seeds were first smuggled there in the early 1990’s
from neighboring Argentina.
Read the original article from the Associated Press, at http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BRAZIL_BIOTECH_SOY?
SITE=MYPSP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.
GM FOOD 'HEALTHIER THAN CONVENTIONAL'
- GERMAN ACADEMIES COMMISSION
“In
consuming food derived from genetically modified (GM) plants
approved in the European Union (EU) and in the United States
(USA), the risk is in no way higher than in the consumption
of food from conventionally grown plants. On the contrary,
in some cases, food from GM plants appears to be superior
in respect to health,” the Union of The German Academies
of Science and Humanities Commission writes in a recently
released paper.
With
various health issues taken into account, including toxicity,
carcinogenicity, and allergenicity, the Commission concluded
that (1) Since absolute safety is not possible for any
food on the market, GM or non-GM, the basis for the approval
of food products containing GMO is the evidence that they
are at least as safe and nutritious as the corresponding
products derived by conventional means, and that (2) GMO
products offer the advantage that they have been exceptionally
thoroughly tested in respect to health risks.
Download
the article at http://www.akademienunion.de/pdf/
memorandum_green_biotechnology.pdf
ZIMBABWE
PARLIAMENT APPROVES BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL
The
Parliament of Zimbabwe recently approved the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety, thereby providing a regulatory framework
for regional and international cooperation in the management
of living modified organisms, including genetically modified
(GM) food.
Dr
Olivia Muchena, Minister of State for Science and Technology,
said, in a speech before Parliament, that the protocol
provided for a regulatory framework that reconciled the
respective needs of trade and environment protection, with
respect to a rapidly growing biotechnology industry.
Zimbabwe
has already accepted GM food, but has restricted the country’s
use to tightly controlled shipment, milling, and distribution.
With the protocol in place, consumers and business people
alike will be ensured an adequate level of protection in
transferring, handling, and use of GM products.
Read
the full story at http://allafrica.com/stories/200410190549.html
STUDY
LINKS BT COTTON TO FARMER HEALTH
The
adoption of Bt cotton can substantially reduce the risk
and the incidence of [pesticide] poisonings, Ferdaus Hossain
and colleagues of the Department of Agricultural, Food,
and Resource Economics, of Rutgers University in New Brunswick,
New Jersey, USA, write, in the latest issue of the International
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Using data gathered from a 1992-1996 survey of farmers in northern China, researchers
showed that Bt cotton adoption reduced pesticide use. There were an average
of 54,000 cases of pesticide poisonings of farmers per year, with 490 of them
fatal, before Bt cotton had been introduced. Surveys showed that farmers who
grew only Bt cotton applied about 18 kg of formulated pesticide per hectare,
while farmers who grew only conventional cotton sprayed about 46 kg per ha.
While almost 33% of the farmers who exclusively used non-Bt cotton reported
pesticide poisoning, only 9% of those who exclusively used Bt cotton reported
such cases.
Download
the full article at http://www.ijoeh.com/pfds/1003_Hossain.pdf
AFRICAN
MINISTERS MEET ON AGRI MASTER PLAN
African
ministers of agriculture recently met in Kenya to brainstorm
the continent’s agricultural master plan.
There
was a general call for an urgent need to develop a continental
capacity to determine the safety of genetically (GM) foods,
as well as to allow local institutions to develop their
capacity to test GM seeds.
The
implementation of the common agricultural policy was also
discussed, which is seen as a prerequisite in addressing
the decline in agricultural production in the continent.
Read
the full article at http://www.usagnet.com/story-national.cfm?Id=1085&yr=2004
DIOUF:
EFFORTS NECESSARY FOR BIODIVERSITY MAINTENANCE
Global
efforts are needed to conserve plants and animals in gene
banks, botanical gardens, and zoos. Genetic material can
be removed from its natural habitat and placed in a safe
place where it can be studied and documented, and then
accessed and used if needed. This was emphasized by Jacques
Diouf, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) during his talk at the Howard University School of
Law in Washington, DC, USA on the occasion of the 24th
Observance of World Food Day.
Equally
important is maintaining biodiversity on farms and in nature,
where it can evolve and adapt to changing conditions or
competition from other species. “If we are to assure
the conservation of agricultural biodiversity, it becomes
imperative that those most responsible for its development
and its preservation -- the indigenous people who maintain
the farms, the herds, the forests, and the fishing areas
-- are both respected and rewarded for their efforts,” Diouf
explained.
Hence,
a new legally binding International Treaty recognizes the
contributions of farmers and identifies ways of protecting
and promoting farmers' rights. It also establishes a multilateral
system of access and benefit sharing to ensure that plant
genetic resources are available for use, and that any benefits
are shared with the countries in which they originated.
For
the full speech, visit http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/
display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=October&x=20041
020142904BAllennoCcM0.8963739&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html.
Meanwhile,
FAO reports that The Global Crop Diversity Trust, an initiative
to conserve in perpetuity the Earth's most crucial agricultural
biodiversity, entered into force as an independent international
organization. It hopes to provide a secure and sustainable
source of funding for the world's most important crop diversity
collections.
The
Trust is a joint initiative of FAO and the International
Plant Genetics Resources Institute, on behalf of the Future
Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
More
details on the Trust are available at http://www.fao.org/
newsroom/en/news/2004/51211/index.html.
EU MEMBER
STATES SUPPORT GM TASK FORCE
About
13 countries are supporting the joint Danish-Italian request
to set up a European task force to ensure the co-existence
of genetically modified (GM) crops and others crops. The
European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council said that
these countries (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia,
Spain, and the Netherlands) agreed with Denmark and Italy
to collect and disseminate information at the EU level.
The
countries suggested that identifying research requirements
concerning co-existence should be done at a pan-European
level, and that limit values should be set for labelling
GMOs in seeds. In addition, they proposed that “the
decision by the Commission to include 17 genetically modified
types of maize in the common catalogue of varieties should
have been taken only once the Commission's report on experience
with the Member States' implementation of the rules governing
co-existence has been published”.
The
EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, and
Fisheries, Franz Fischler, stated that a network between
Member States can be set up to exchange information and
ideas on new practices and experiences.
Visit http://www.eufic.org for
more information regarding the EU task force on GM.
CHINA MAY
RELEASE GM RICE SOON
China,
the world's top producer and consumer of rice, as well
as pioneer in rice research, could release its genetically
modified (GM) rice varieties – including Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) rice, cowpea trypsin inhibitor
gene rice, and disease resistant Xa21 rice – as early
as next year.
Local
scientists also believe that the government may soon allow
the commercialization of GM rice, after more than six years
of trials. Field trials in Hunan and Fujian provinces showed
GMO rice boosted yields by 4 to 8%, and allowed an 80%
drop in pesticide use.
At
present, China is already the world's top grower of Bt
cotton, which has been effective in controlling damage
from the bollworm pest.
Read the original news story at http://www.reuters.co.uk
GM ALFALFA
READY FOR FIELD
Commercial
varieties of Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa are expected to
be available to California forage producers next year.
This is according to a team of University of California
Cooperative Extension farm advisors, who have been evaluating
the genetically modified (GM) crop for four years.
The
GM alfalfa will allow the crop to be treated with glyphosate
herbicides without damaging the plant. However, since glyphosates
do not kill all the weeds that threaten alfalfa, other
treatments – including rotating weed control chemistry
and tank mixing – will be necessary to control Cheeseweed,
nettles, fleabane, filaree, henbit, and marestail, the
most common weed varieties that damage alfalfa.
For
the full story, visit http://westernfarmpress.com/
news/9-29-04-roundup-ready-alfalfa/.
SYNGENTA
TO DONATE GOLDEN RICE SEEDS/LINES TO HUMANITARIAN BOARD
Agribusiness
giant Syngenta recently announced that it would donate
new Golden Rice seeds and lines to the Golden Rice Humanitarian
Board. The donation includes the scientific results of
the first field trial, as well as technology, rights, and
research. This follows the successful completion of the
first Golden Rice field trials and harvest in the United
States, World Food Day on the 16th of October, and the
International Year of Rice, as celebrated by the United
Nations.
The
Golden Rice Humanitarian Board is led by Ingo Potrykus,
Professor Emeritus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH in Zurich, Switzerland; and Professor Peter Beyer of
the University of Freiburg, Germany, the leaders of the
research team who first demonstrated pro-Vitamin A production
in rice. The Board also includes representatives of the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Rockefeller
Foundation, the international public initiative HarvestPlus,
and the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), among others.
Visit http://www.syngenta.com for
the full news article.
MALAYSIA
GEARS EFFORTS ON AGRICULTURE
The
Malaysian government has allotted RM1.5 billion for agriculture
projects to fast track agri-research activities as the
country shifts its growth strategy from one based on exports
to one driven by domestic-led growth in the face of global
competition.
The
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Developments Institute
(MARDI) is contributing its share to this goal as it seeks
to commercialize its research and development findings.
MARDI is currently attracting private and government-linked
companies to some research projects which are ready to
be commercialized.
Meanwhile,
MARDI reports that Dr. Rezuwan Kamaruddin has come up with
a productive and cost effective way to grow certain varieties
of heat-tolerant temperate crops under tropical conditions.
Malaysia spends some RM680 million a year importing temperate
vegetables. Attention is also being focused on the institute’s
work on genetically engineered orchids which are more colorful,
last longer, and are more disease-resistant.
Visit
the Malaysian Biotechnology Information website for more
biotechnology news at http://www.bic.org.my.
EFFECTS
OF FEAR EXPLORED IN PAPER
David Ropeik
takes a look at “The Consequences of Fear,” an
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) paper that
explores the effects of both fear and risk misperception,
and correlates them with risk management strategies.
As
a result of some of the decisions we make when we are fearful,
Ropeik writes, along with some of the choices we make when
we are not fearful enough, and because of the ways our
bodies react to chronically elevated levels of stress,
the hazards of risk misperception may be more significant
than any of the individual risks about which we fret.
Contributing
to the effects of fear is 'the mean world syndrome,' where
various sectors, including the media, use an approach to
make risks sound as dramatic, threatening, and urgent as
possible. With this in mind, Ropek recommends that (1)
government and business should take a holistic approach
to risk as they formulate risk management policy, considering
how people perceive a risk, and how they are likely to
react to government policy about that risk; (2) risk communicators
must convey information to people in ways that help them
to keep risk in perspective; and (3) those who develop
the methodologies of valuation analysis must design ways
to quantify the effects of perception, so that these effects
can be included in analyses of the costs and benefits of
various risk management strategies.
Download
the full article in PDF format at http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/embor/journal/v5/n1s/full/740}
0228.html&filetype=pdf
CONFERENCES
THE 13TH
AUSTRALASIAN PLANT BREEDING CONFERENCE
Breeding
for Success: Diversity in Action is the theme of the next
Australasian Plant Breeding Conference, to be held on the
18th to 21st of April 2006 at the Christchurch Convention
Center in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The
conference aims to highlight the economic, sociological,
and environmental benefits of plant breeding in Australia,
New Zealand, and South East Asia. Organized in conjunction
with the New Zealand Grassland Association Inc., it will
be based on six core themes: Benefits from plant improvement,
genetic resources in a genomics era, environmental challenges
and opportunities, plant gene technologies, added value
products, and parallel breeding of plants and associated
organisms
Additional
features include field tours through New Zealand, to highlight
practical innovation across the agriculture, horticulture,
and forestry industries; and a master class in plant breeding,
which will use practical examples and computer models to
demonstrate the application of quantitative and population
genetics in plant breeding.
For
more details, visit http://www.apbc.org.nz,
or email Helen Shrewsbury, Conference Secretariat, at shrewsbh@lincoln.ac.nz
BRAZILIAN
CASSAVA CONFERENCE
An
International Conference on Cassava Plant Breeding has
been set for the 1st-5th December 2006, in Brasilia, Brazil.
Organized by Professors Nagib Nassar and Rodomiro Ortiz,
the conference will discuss cassava breeding and food security
in Sub-Saharan Africa, management of cassava reproduction
systems, cassava polyploidization and chimera production,
cassava genetic resources, and enriching cassava contents.
For
more information, contact Prof. Nagib Nassar at nagnassa@rudah.com.br.
or Dr. Rodomiro Ortiz at r.ortiz@cgiar.org. |
DOCUMENT
REMINDER:
UPDATED
POCKET K 4
A
revised version of Pocket K No. 4 on “GM Crops and
the Environment” is now available online at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
It discusses the current environmental situation, environmental
benefits of GM crops, potential risks, and how GM crops
are assessed for environmental safety.
Pocket
Ks are Pockets of Knowledge, packaged information on crop
biotechnology products and related issues. They are produced
by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology of
the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications. There are already 15 Pocket Ks which are
all available online at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
INVENTORY
OF OECD BIOTECH STATS
A
working paper that attempts to provide an accurate assessment
of the current state of biotechnology statistics in the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
member and observer countries is now available. The report
is an update of a document released in 2000. The latest
document includes a statistical definition of biotechnology
and incorporates guidelines for the compilation of biotechnology
indicators, including model questions for inclusion in
national surveys. It also has a reference to the most appropriate
web sites where additional information may be obtained.
For
more of the inventory of biotechnology statistics, visit http://www.oecd.org.
ERS RELEASES
PATENT DATABASE
The Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture
(ERS/USDA) recently released a database identifying and describing U.S. utility
patents on inventions in biotechnology and other biological processes, used
in food and agriculture, with issue dates between 1976 and 2000.
The
database also provides information about the ownership
of these patents, among other vital data, and includes
agricultural biotechnology utility patents, patent ownership
information, and a system of technology classification.
Users
may access the database at http://www.ers.usda.gov/
Data/AgBiotechIP/. |