Washington, DC
February 11, 2009
The Council for
Biotechnology Information welcomed a report released
February 11 that confirmed that the use and benefits of
agricultural biotechnology continue to grow in the United States
and around the world.
In its annual report, "Global Status of Commercialized
Biotech/GM Crops 2008," the International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) stated that
agricultural biotechnology is being used by 13.3 million farmers
in 25 countries, including 1.3 million farmers in three new
countries that adopted biotechnology crops in 2008 — Burkina
Faso, Egypt, and Bolivia.
The report found that the United
States remained the largest planter of biotech crops with 154.4
million acres planted in 2008 including soybean, maize, cotton,
canola, squash, papaya, alfalfa and a new herbicide-tolerant
sugar beet.
Nearly 637,531 acres or 59 percent of the U.S. crop sugar beet
were planted using the herbicide-tolerant variety — the highest
launch adoption level ever, "signaling a strong desire among
growers for the technology."
The report also highlighted the benefits of agricultural
biotechnology in alleviating two growing global threats — water
scarcity and climate change — and the environmental benefits the
technology offers.
The study states, "Biotech crops have already substantially
reduced agriculture's environmental footprint by reducing
pesticides, saving on fossil fuel use and decreasing carbon
dioxide emissions and soil loss through less plowing. In
particular, from 1996 to 2007 biotech crops saved 359,000 metric
tons of pesticides [and] in 2007 alone, carbon dioxide savings
were 14.2 billion kg, equivalent to removing 6.3 million cars
from the road."
Experts Insights
"Most importantly the
ISAAA Report makes it clear that this technology can be
useful for everyone regardless of economic status with 15 of
25 countries being from developing nations. Another
important milestone is the introduction of a new crop in
2008 such as sugarbeet. The Report shows the continued
interest in using advanced tools for sustainable food
production worldwide and that innovation in biotechnology is
no longer limited to a few countries and corporations."
Dr. Allen Van Deyzne
University of California, Davis
Dr. Van Deynze, senior scientist at the University of
California, Davis, has been working in biotechnology
research, plant breeding and regulations for over 13 years
"The 2008 ISAAA report on the global status of biotech
crops shows that this technology has passed the tipping
point and adoption will only accelerate. The report gives
evidence that farmers around the world have seen increases
in yield, reduction in costs, improvements in crop
management and the sustainability of agriculture, and it has
all occurred without any adverse effects. It is especially
heartening that the technology makes its greatest impact for
resource poor farmers in the developing world."
Dr. Bruce Chassy
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Chassy is Professor of Food Safety and Nutritional
Sciences who specializes in safety assessment of foods,
including genetically engineered foods. He has focused in
recent years on the use of biotechnology and
nutritionally-enhanced foods to overcome malnutrition.
"Particularly noteworthy are the contributions that
biotech crops are making to increasing the sustainability of
agriculture through soil conservation, reduced fuel use,
decreased pesticide applications, and higher productivity.
Equally important are the economic advantages resulting from
biotech crops, particularly for low resource farmers, and
the maintenance of productivity to keep food prices
affordable. This report documents the current positive
impact of biotech crops and the potential for them to
contribute even more in the future."
Dr. Kent Bradford
University of California, Davis
Dr. Bradford is Professor and Director of the
Seed Biotechnology
Center
The Council for Biotechnology
Information communicates science-based information about the
benefits and safety of agricultural biotechnology and its
contributions to sustainable development. For more information,
visit www.whybiotech.com.
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