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July 13, 2004
Widespread European adoption would boost production, yield.
Some may be
surprised to learn that many European farmers are looking to
plant biotech crops.
 But
not Thierry de l'Escaille (photo), head of the Belgium-based
European Landowners' Organization
(ELO), which represents several million farmers and other rural
business owners in 25 countries that make up the recently
expanded European Union (EU).
"A lot of
farmers in our organization are quite interested in growing GM
crops," said l'Escaille. "Biotechnology could also be a good
tool to help rural areas for the economy and for the
environment."
As the
owner and operator of farms in
Belgium,
France and the Netherlands, l'Escaille said he, too, would like
the opportunity to plant biotech crops. He grows a variety of
crops, including conventional sugar beets, corn and potatoes.
Enhanced biotech varieties of all three of these crops have been
approved for planting in the United States, but not in the
countries where he farms.
A recent
study found that the wide-scale adoption of these three
biotech crops in Europe could significantly increase annual
production, improve farmer income by more than 1 billion Euros
(US$1.18 billion) and reduce spraying practices. (1)
"With
results like these, it's easy to understand why farmers want
access to this new technology," said l'Escaille
Although
the public debate over plant biotechnology continues in
Europe, l'Escaille said the issue has evolved to where it
is now driven more by politics than by public concerns about
food safety or the environment.
"Five or
six years ago, some people were asking legitimate questions
about GMOs," said l'Escaille. "But most of those questions have
been answered. With biotech crops, it's possible to grow food
that is safe to eat and even better for the environment."
The British
Medical Association (BMA), which at one time had questioned the
safety of biotech crops, for example, recently said it supports
the UK government's decision to allow commercial planting of
biotech corn. (2)
Sir David
Carter, chairman of the BMA's Board of Science, said it was time
to "move away from the hysteria that has so often been
associated with GM foods." (3)
In response
to such statements by BMA and other influential groups, European
attitudes toward biotechnology have gradually grown more
positive since 1999. (4) Landowners, farmers and policymakers
are looking to move forward.
"My
personal feeling is that many of the decision makers are looking
for a solution to the dispute over biotech crops," said
l'Escaille. "With more balanced information, the public is
beginning to see some of the benefits of agricultural
biotechnology. But I can't plant biotech crops until the market
is ready for them."
To date,
Spain is the only country in the European Union where
biotech crops are commercially grown about 5 percent of its
acreage is planted with corn. l'Escaille said Spanish members of
the ELO have been very pleased with the yield and income gains
achieved with Bt corn, which is enhanced with a naturally
occurring soil bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) to ward
off insect pests.
On average,
Bt yields were 6.3 percent higher than conventional
varieties, according to a report from the International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.(5) That, in
addition to a reduction in pesticide spraying, has translated
into extra earnings of 170 Euros per hectare, or $85 an acre.
Another
study suggests that the wide-scale adoption of nine biotech
crops in Europe including corn, cotton, potatoes, rapeseed,
rice, sugar beets, stone fruits (peaches, apricots and plums),
tomatoes and wheat could increase production, improve farmer
income and reduce spraying. (6)
l'Escaille
says studies like this are stimulating the interest of farmers
throughout the EU who say they need biotechnology in order to
remain competitive on global markets. He said the majority of
farmers in the EU are over 55 years of age and many are going
out of business because their sons and daughters see no future
in farming. Without access to new technologies to improve
profitability, the EU farm population will continue to age and
decline as young people leave the farm for more lucrative
careers in cities.
Yet another
concern is that biotech crop research in
Europe is on the decline because of what has been perceived as
the hostile political climate. While the number of biotech field
trials in
Europe rose
sharply between 1991 and 1998, they fell by 76 percent by 2001
from 250 in 1998 to 61 in 2001, according to a report from the
European Commission.(7) As a result, the report said, scientists
are leaving
Europe to come to the
United States
or Canada to conduct their research.
"The lack
of progress on the authorizations of new GMOs is having a direct
impact on research activities on GMOs and GMO field trials in
Europe," it said. (8)
While
l'Escaille says biotechnology isn't the only answer to those
problems, it's a "partial solution" to the exodus of people from
rural Europe and the "brain drain" of some of its most promising
young scientists.
"A lot of
the pioneering work in plant improvement and genetics originated
in Europe whether it was Thomas Fairchild, the father of the
modern flower garden, or Gregor Mendel, whose work was the first
to identify characteristics that pass from parents to
offspring," l'Escaille said. "We can't afford to miss out now.
Our farmers and our rural communities need to stay profitable
and competitive.
"As a
farmer, I can only speak for myself and many like me: We need
access to this technology."
For more
information:
Biotech Corn Boosts Filipino Farmers Income by 50 Percent
Council for Biotechnology Information
Bt
Cotton Creates Three Times the Earnings for Indian Farmer
Council for Biotechnology Information
Biotech Soybeans Double Yields and Income for Romanian Farmer
Council for Biotechnology Information
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Copyright
© 2004 Council for
Biotechnology Information. |
