Ten
years of safe and sustainable GM crops production
|
Public
hearings |
Biotechnology:
prospects and challenges for agriculture in Europe
Scientists, researchers and experts are to debate
biotechnology and its impact on agriculture in
Europe. The participants will share their views with
members of the EP's agriculture committee on new
applications in biotechnology, and their potential
economic impact in Europe. Then the debate will turn
to the coexistence between traditional crops and
biotechnology, focusing on the different national
and community approaches to guarantee a workable
cohabitation of different production methods.
(Source:
EUpolitix.com) |
On the 10th
anniversary of safe and sustainable farming with green
biotechnology, EuropaBio
welcomes the European Parliament’s public hearing:
Biotechnology: Prospects and Challenges for
Agriculture in Europe.
EuropaBio
strongly supports fora such as this Parliamentary hearing
that look to examine the arguments for and against GM
farming in a methodical, sensible fashion, using
science-based research to drive the discussion.
GM crops
approved following rigorous safety assessments, have been
grown around the world commercially for 10 years. They have
been consumed for over 10 years with not one single recorded
negative health incident. Currently, biotech crops are grown
in five EU countries (Czech Rep, France, Germany, Portugal &
Spain). The evidence is that European countries and public
opinion are increasingly less negative and more open to
biotech crops. Yet a small minority of Member States are
trying to block the growth in acceptance of biotech crops in
Europe and deny European consumers and farmers the choice to
use labelled, safe products.
In an
increasingly globalised and competitive world, EuropaBio
believes it is important to encourage companies to bring
innovative products to market for the benefit of both
farmers and consumers. The future competitiveness of
Europe’s agricultural and food processing industries will
depend on plant genomics, biotechnology and their smart
application. Europe’s position in this arena is declining as
a consequence of the political inertia caused by the
polarised and increasingly heated debate between opponents
and advocates.
Benefits of
GM crop production include:
-
Improved yields and increased food
security while cutting the use of spraying, minimising
the soil erosion that conventional weed control methods
entail, and reducing carbon emissions through reduced
reliance on fuel-intensive crop maintenance.
-
In a study by PG
Economics(1) published in October 2005 farmers using the
technology increased their income by US$27 billion
during the period 1996 to 2004 with significant,
additional environmental benefits delivered; the
accumulative economic benefits during the nine years to
developing countries ($15 billion), exceeded benefits to
industrial countries ($12 billion) (1)
-
Benefits for the environment, consumers, farmers and
European competitiveness (2)
EuropaBio, the
European Association for Bioindustries, has 60 direct
members operating worldwide and 25 national biotechnology
associations representing some 1500 small and medium sized
enterprises involved in research and development, testing,
manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products.
(2)
http://www.europabio.org/documents/06Benefits%20Brochure.pdf
