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In 2006, the global area of
commercial GM crops was 102
million hectares — a 60-fold
increase since 1996. The
main GM crops grown were
soybean, corn, cotton and
canola.
In 2007, GM crop area
grew by 12 percent to 114
million hectares. The number
of countries planting GM
crops increased to 23. In
order of crops grown, these
are USA, Argentina, Brazil,
Canada, India, China,
Paraguay, South Africa,
Uruguay, Philippines,
Australia, Spain, Mexico,
Colombia, Chile, France,
Honduras, Czech Republic,
Portugal, Germany, Slovakia,
Romania and Poland.
The International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA), a
not-for-profit organisation
that aims to deliver the
benefits of new agricultural
biotechnologies to the poor
in developing countries.
According to ISAAA, the high
adoption rate by farmers
reflects the fact that
biotech crops have
consistently performed well
and delivered significant
economic, environmental,
health and social benefits
to both small and large
farmers in developing and
industrial countries.
The main traits in GM
crop plants are herbicide
tolerance and insect
resistance. In 2007,
herbicide‑tolerant crops
occupied 63% of the global
biotech area, and
insect‑resistant crops
occupied 18%. Nine per cent
of global GM crops were used
for biofuel production in
2007. The potential over-use
of food crops for biofuels
in developing countries is
becoming a concern, and many
researchers are looking at
developing biofuels from
non-food sources.
In Australia, three crops
are approved and can be
grown commercially:
- four pest-resistant
cotton varieties: Ingard®
and Bollgard®, and Roundup
Ready Ingard® and Roundup
Ready Bollgard®.
- two herbicide tolerant
canolas: Monsanto's
Roundup Ready® canola and
Bayer's InVigor® canola.
However, apart from
limited plantings in NSW
and Victoria, they are not
currently being grown
because of bans imposed at
the state government
level.
- five varieties of
carnations in the
Florigene Moondust and
Moonshadow varieties,
modified for flower colour
and longer vase life.
A number of crops are
undergoing field trials in
Australia
The European Union had an
unofficial moratorium on the
sale and growth of GM crops
in place since 1998. This
was lifted in May 2004.
In the European Union,
food ingredients from
varieties of GM soy, maize
and oilseed rape have been
approved for food use
although very little is
actually used. These include
oils and syrups that contain
‘GM-derived’ material, and
flours and starches.
In Britain, the first
crop to be approved for
growing was a maize plant
genetically modified to
resist the weedkiller
glufosinate ammonium and
used for animal feed. It was
approved by the regulators
in March 2004, but in April,
the company announced that
it was abandoning plans to
launch the crop. They said
it was not economically
viable because of the
uncertainty over issues such
as compensation for
contamination.
Some countries want to
remain GM-free while others
embrace GM. This makes for
complex debates about what
constitutes a GM food or
ingredient and makes
labelling difficult when
these countries deal with
each other in the global
marketplace.
The UK government's
official adviser on GM, the
Agriculture and Environment
Biotechnology Commission (AEBC),
has said it would “be
difficult and in some places
impossible to guarantee”
that any British food was
GM-free if GM crops were
commercially grown. In North
America, farmers can no
longer be certain the seed
they plant does not contain
GM genes. |
