In
This Issue:
EU COMMISSION
PAPER CALLS FOR USE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
The European Commission is set to release a strategy paper on "Life Sciences
and Biotechnology: A Strategy for Europe." The paper includes an action plan
with recommendations for Member States, local authorities, industry and other
stakeholders. The EU adopted this major policy initiative for the development
of life sciences and biotechnology in Europe.
The EuropaBio, the European association for bioindustries, lauded EC's efforts
to acknowledge biotechnology as a major source of innovation for wide range
of products and the important role it can play in developing a knowledge-based
economy.
The commission admits that Europe's fledgling biotech industries
need to be at par with their international rivals. It was
estimated that by 2010, biotech
industries will amount to a world market of more than two trillion euros ($1.762
trillion) and most of these revenue will be generated outside the EU. "We have
more companies than the US but we generate far fewer products," says Hugo Schepens,
EuropaBio's secretary general.
It was acknowledged in the paper that the hesitancy of the general public to
accept GM products has affected Europe's capability to compete in the world
biotech market, has weakened their research capability and may limit its policy
options in the future.
Among other countermeasures, the commission acknowledges the need to sharpen
the awareness of people regarding the advantages biotechnology can offer to
the environment, health care and food security particularly among developing
countries. The commission cites advances in preventive medicine; crops that
are resistant to pests or have higher nutritional value; reduced pesticide
use and lower soil erosion; biodegradable plastic; infinitely renewable energy;
and hazardous waste cleanup.
The commission is scheduled to present the paper to EU head of state and government
in March 2002 at a summit in Barcelona, Spain.
For further information visit http://europa.eu.int/comm/biotechnology/introduction_en.html
INDIA TO DECIDE ON GM CROPS SOON
India is a few steps from approving the commercialization
of genetically modified (GM) crops. India's Genetic Engineering
Approval Committee (GEAC) under the
Ministry of Environment and Forest, is awaiting a government report on a year
long extensive research on oil seed and cotton crops prior to making public
their decision on the fate of GM crops this February.
Vivek Bharti, adviser to the Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), says that GM crops offer
the potential for huge productive
gains. He adds that "if the kind of productivity increase seen in China, is
possible in India, then I can certainly say that... genetically modified crops
hold a lot of promise for Indian agriculture." He believes that GM technology
could help alleviate Indian agriculture, the foundation of India's rural economy.
A report in 2001 by the Confederation of Indian Industry averred that the national
market in biotechnology was valued at US$2.5bn, a fivefold increase since 1997.
In other developments, GEAC recently approved the large-scale, multi-location
field evaluation for herbicide-tolerant mustard. The GM crop will be tested
for its agronomic performance and biosafety aspects. It is the second GM crop
to be tested after Bt cotton of Monsanto-Mayhco.
Proagro Seed Company Limited, a multinational that is now part of the Aventis
CropScience of Belgium, developed the hybrid mustard and claims that it yields
25 % more than existing varieties.
BIOTECH SOYBEANS
BENEFIT ENVIRONMENT
Surveys done by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the US National
Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) prove that using herbicide-tolerant
soybeans are benefiting American farmers. Bart Ruth, president of the American
Soybean Association reports that improved weed control through herbicide-tolerant
soybeans have more than doubled the amount of soybean acres in conservation
tillage. Roundup Ready soybeans currently make up 68 % of total US soybean
acreage, according to the US Department of Agriculture, or about 74 % according
to the ASA survey.
One of the most evident benefits is the reduction in tillage practices. The
ASA survey notes that almost 50% of soybean growers eliminated tillage. An
additional 34% of soybean acres were managed with reduced-tillage system. Reduction
in tillage benefited not only the farmers but wildlife as well. The ecosystems
within the field are conserved and much more, the topsoil remains instead of
being washed off into steams, thereby preserving soil fertility.
Aside from reduced tillage, NCFAP showed that 19 million fewer herbicide applications
per year were made than in 1995, before herbicide-tolerant soybeans were available.
UK FINALIZES
FARM SCALE EVALUATIONS OF GM CROPS
This will be the last year of the three-year program of farm scale evaluations
(FSEs) in the United Kingdom, with the final round of trials to be planted
this autumn. GM crops will be assessed for their effect on health and the environment.
Currently, a total of 178 FSE sites are being studied for the effects of specific
herbicides on wildlife associated with the GM crops as compared to their conventional
equivalents. As for now, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment
has assessed that the crops are safe for human and animal health and for the
environment.
The independent Scientific Steering Committee, which supervises
the program, recommends that there should be up to 32 rapeseed
oil and 25 beet sites to
be planted this spring across the UK. The farming and biotechnology industry
body and the growers will agree upon the location. The Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will be advised of the six-figure grid references
for the selected sites.
Depending on the weather, plantings will start this coming March 15. The site
where GM corn will be planted will be disclosed later in February.
More information can be obtained from the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs website (http://www.defra.gov.uk).
US: OPEN WORLD
MARKET TO GM PRODUCTS
The United States, according to the Agence France Presse,
seeks to convince the World Trade Organization's 143 members
to open up their markets to genetically
modified (GM) farm products. US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick was cited
as saying that biotech products, including GM foods represented an "enormous
potential that must be tapped to fight hunger and malnutrition."
Zoellick made this statement after meetings with African
and Asian counterparts and other farm exporting countries
from the Cairns group. He claimed that much
of the reluctance to accept agricultural products containing GM material was
largely on "fears and lack of a scientific basis or knowledge".
ANNOUNCEMENT: CropBiotech
Net Has New URL Address
Due to technical problems with the CGNET server, CropBiotech Net, the website
of the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, is temporarily accessed
through http://www.isaaa.org/kc/index.htm.
It is also accessible through http://www.isaaa.org
An announcement will be made when the system is back to its normal URL address.
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