Agricultural Biotech
covers a range of
technologies used to
breed improved crops in
a more targeted and
efficient way. The best
known technique in this
category is genetic
modification (more
properly called
recombinant DNA or r-DNA
technology) which
involves the
modification of existing
genes or the inclusion
of new ones (often from
unrelated species) to
give plant varieties
with particularly
desirable
characteristics.
However, the term also
covers such techniques
as Marker Assisted
Breeding, which
increases the
effectiveness of
conventional breeding.
Whatever the particular
technology used, the
crops may be destined
for use for food,
biomaterials or energy
production.
The current generation
of commercial
genetically modified
(GM) crops –
herbicide-tolerant,
disease- and
insect-resistant –
provide direct benefits
primarily to farmers.
However, their use can
also help to increase
farmland biodiversity,
reduce the need for
spraying, improve soil
quality and reduce soil
erosion. Overall yields
and quality are as good
as or better than the
varieties they replace,
diminishing pressure to
encroach on fragile
wildlife habitats.
Reduced spraying and
ploughing lead to
significant savings in
diesel fuel and reduced
carbon dioxide
emissions, making a
potentially valuable
contribution to Europe’s
action on climate
change. Future
generations of
biotechnology derived
crops – some already
close to market – will
provide a wider range of
benefits, some in the
form of improved
nutritional quality, and
others as renewable raw
materials for
manufacturing and
pharmaceuticals. Further
yield and agronomic
advantages will also
continue to be
delivered, including
those attempting to
“climate-proof”
agriculture.
Environmental
benefits of current GM
crops
All farming has an
impact on the
environment. Most
directly, this is due to
wild ecosystems being
displaced when crops are
sown. Productive,
efficient agriculture,
for which GM crops are
one of the tools, can
maximise the yield on a
given area of land,
avoiding the need to
bring more land into
production. Proponents
of less intensive
management systems which
result in significantly
lower yields, such as
organic, claim they have
a lower environmental
impact. In fact, their
widespread use would
require more farmland
and have a more
widespread impact on
natural ecosystems.
Further impacts of
farming can also be
reduced. Current
herbicide-tolerant crops
– such as maize, oilseed
rape and sugar beet –
can give the farmer more
flexibility in
controlling weeds. For
example, if
conventionally grown
sugar beet is to thrive
and yield well, it needs
to be kept free from
weeds from the earliest
stages, whether by
spraying or by
mechanical cultivation.
Genetically modified
(GM) varieties allow the
farmer to control the
weeds at a later stage.
Leaving the weeds in the
field for a longer
period provides food for
insects (and, in turn,
birds) before the weeds
are sprayed, and later
leaves behind a mulch of
dead weeds which is also
a good habitat for
insects. After harvest
in autumn, new winter
crops can be planted
directly, with no need
to disturb the soil
structure by ploughing.
This no-till system –
widely used by soy
farmers as well –
maintains greater soil
biodiversity and reduces
fuel use. The
broad-spectrum
herbicides used affect
only green plants and
are safe for people and
wildlife.
Insect-resistant GM
maize, already being
grown commercially on a
limited area in the EU
(including in Spain, the
Czech Republic,
Portugal, Slovakia,
Poland and Romania) and
more extensively in a
number of other
countries world-wide,
also provides
environmental benefits.
The crop is protected
from losses caused by
corn boring insects.
There is no need to
control this pest by
spraying, which has a
positive impact on
“non-target” insect
species. In addition,
improving yields means
there is no need to
increase the area of
land under cultivation
to increase production.
Other insect-resistant
GM maize events are
awaiting authorisation
in the EU, with
protection against other
pests, such as the corn
rootworm or so-called
“million dollar bug”,
which is now rapidly
spreading across Europe,
causing heavy yield
losses in maize.
Facts and Figures &
Useful Links
Based on ISAAA Report
for 2008
Information for
Operators - a
list of GM products
currently authorised for
import and use in the
Community (EuropaBio)
Registered deliberate
releases of GMOs in the European
Union (Joint
Research Center of the
EU Commission)
EU Community
Register of GM Food and
Feed (EU
Commission)
Commercialized GMOs in
the world (UN)
Global area of GM crops (ISAAA).
Worldwide GM Crop
Database (AGBIOS)
EU GMO Database approved
& awaiting approval (GMO
Compass)
Biotechnologies in
Developing Countries (FAO-BioDec
database)
United States Regulatory
Agencies Unified
Biotechnology Website (USDA)
EuropaBio information
tools
External information
tools
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