THE GREEN G-NOME’S GUIDE TO

GM CROPS & POLICIESIN THE EUTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction

5

2. GM Worldwide

15

3. Trade & Approvals

23

4. Cultivation & Benefits

39

5. Innovation & IP

51

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the World of Genetically
Modified Crops!

> EASAC
http://bit.ly/IGSyVV“ There is compelling evidence that GM crops cancontribute to sustainable development goals with
benefits to farmers, consumers, the environment
and the economy.”
European Academies of Science1

Dear Reader,
Today, you are most likely wearing clothes made with genetically modified (GM) cotton and eating something made withbiotechnology. Our farm animals in Europe are being fed withsignificant amounts of GM crops, the vast majority of which
are grown and harvested on other continents. Yet, despite
having contributed to its creation, Europe has all but expelled
the fastest-adopted technology in the history of agriculture.
GM crops have been determined safe and provide multiple
benefits. So why are the EU and many of its member stateshindering this promising technology which we already rely on?

7

Notwithstanding fear mongering by anti-GMO groups in Europe,
past studies suggest that the majority of Europeans andincreasingly the younger generations are actually open to GM
crops, especially if they can deliver benefits such as price incentives, a reduction in use of farm inputs, or healthier food.2,3,4
Fortunately, several European leaders have also spoken out
in favour of GM crops. We think it’s time for Europe to face thefacts and have an informed debate. We hope to raise yourinterest with this guide.

Your EuropaBio Agricultural BiotechTeam

8

Why farmers plant GM crops> Global impactsof GM crops
http://bit.ly/1sO7jx8

Farmers around the world make important choices every
season regarding the various tools that they will use to produce the best possible crops. Their choices depend on theneeds of their consumers and the given climatic andenvironmental conditions at the time of sowing and growing.
In countries where farmers have the choice, biotech seeds areamong those tools. The economic benefit of planting GM crops
amounted to an average of almost 100 € per hectare in 2014.5

Water
protection

Higher farmincomeLess risk ofyield loss whenexperiencing
drought stressor pest attack

Environment
Economicand social
benefits

Soil
preservation
Less spraying
due to improved
weed and pest
control

Increasedmanagement
flexibility

9

No/reduced tillage
practices, whichsave time andequipment usage

Addressing global challenges
with GMOs
Through agricultural biotechnology (green biotech)professional plant breeders can give plants desirable
characteristics that are needed to face some of theworld’s most pressing challenges.
Whether it is improving resistance to certain pests or weeds,
enhanced robustness against diseases, developing droughtor water tolerant crops, or more nutritious plants – to namejust a few traits – green biotech, including genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), can support food security, economic
development, and the environment.
As the world population grows to ten billion people in 2050,
we will need to almost double food production in thedeveloping world and increase it by 60% globally.6
Green biotech has already triggered an unprecedented
acceleration in innovation that can help us to meet thechallenge, but more commitment from the EU is needed tohelp ensure that it can deliver its potential.

> Glassbarn
http://bit.ly/2mFCIA6

155 people

72 people

27 people

9.8 people

TODAY

1970

1950

1930

How many people can one farmer feed?
10

7

Key
= 3 people

Seed is at the origin of all our foodWithout plant breeding, many of the foods we consume
today would not exist or they would not be as healthy or tasty
as they are today. For centuries, farmers have tried to improvetheir crops by means of crossing, relying on the random
rearrangement of existing genes between two closely relatedparent plants. Agricultural biotechnology (or green biotechnology) encompasses a range of modern plant breeding
techniques, including genetic modification, which allows us to
improve plants in more targeted ways.

What is genetic modification?
Genetic modification is a specific agricultural biotechnology
used to improve plants in a more precise way than conventional breeding. It means that existing genes are modified, or
new genes included, to give plant varieties desirable characteristics (traits), such as making crops more robust against
diseases, resistant to certain pests and herbicides, andtolerant to drought or water.

> EuropaBio’s FAQs
http://bit.ly/2jt6CrJ

Because only a few genes with known traits are transferred,
GM methods are faster and more targeted than traditional
breeding.
Find more responses to FAQs on our website.

11Biotechnology in our everyday lives
Biotechnology uses living organisms to make useful products.
Production may be carried out by using intact organisms, suchas yeasts and bacteria, by using natural substances (e.g.
enzymes) from organisms, or by modifying plant genomes.
Biotechnology has been used for more than 6,000 years forlots of interesting and practical purposes:8 making food suchas bread and cheese, preserving dairy products and fermenting beer. Although we do not always realise it, biotechnology
is a huge part of our everyday lives. From the clothes we wear
and how we wash them, to the food we eat and the sources itcomes from, to the medicine we use to keep us healthy andeven the fuel we use to take us where we need to go, biotech
already plays, and must continue to play, an invaluable role inmeeting our needs.

Made
with
GM
cotton!

12> Biotech timeline
http://bit.ly/2k3ZV01

Is it safe to eat GM crops?
Yes. There is no evidence that a crop is dangerous to eat
just because it is GM. That’s the clear answer of the Royal
Society (British academy of science).9 Trillions of GM meals
have been eaten with zero cases of harm.
> Food insight
http://bit.ly/1XiGzz9> What people say
http://bit.ly/2csIDEN

All representative scientific organisations10, the European
Academies of Science, the World Health Organisation, the European Commission11 and the European Food Safety Authority
agree: safety assessed GM crops are at least as safe asconventionally bred crops.
All GM crops that are currently on the market have provento be safe. GM products all have to go through a rigorous
safety assessment by a competent authority. In the EU, thisrole is carried by the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA).

!
E
F
A
S
13

In 2000 and 2010, the European Commission released tworeports that cover 25 years of research, which concluded
that GMOs are just as safe as conventional plants.12

FIND OUT MORE
> Factsheet Facing the Facts on GMOs in the EU13
http://bit.ly/2eu56CX> Royal Society’s Q&A on GM Plants9
http://bit.ly/2k6Xl9X> European Academies Science Advisory Council(EASAC) policy report on opportunities and challenges
for using crop genetic improvement technologies forsustainable agriculture (June 2013)1
http://bit.ly/1ezwEA1

14

STATUS OF
GM CROPSWORLDWIDE

15

16

The fastest adopted crop technology

100

80

60

40

20

Soybean

Maize

Canola

17

9
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15

08

20
0

20

20
07

05
20
06

04

Cotton

20

20

2
20
03

20
0

20
0

0
20
01

0
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99

million ha.

> ISAAA
http://bit.ly/2533PoI

Since 1996, GM crops have been increasingly cultivated andconsumed world-wide14, making GM the fastest adopted crop
technology in history. GM crops are mostly grown outside ofEurope and increasingly in the developing world.14

Source: James, C. (2015)

Bigger than EU crop farming
More farmers are now planting biotech crops globally than all
EU farmers put together, on a surface that is larger than all EU
arable land.
18 million farmers planted GM crops in 2015 – that is about
6 million more than all EU farmers.
While the global areaof biotech crops isabout six times as big
as the total land areaof Italy, the EU’s shareis only about the sizeof a big city.

18

Leaders in GM crop cultivation> ISAAA Biotech Crop
Highlights
http://bit.ly/1QEOaC2

The top five countries planting GM crops each grew more than
10 million hectares in 2015.15 Since 2012, developing countries have grown more GM crops than industrialised countries.
Out of the 18 million farmers growing GM crops globally in2015, around 90% were small, resource-poor farmers, including around 14 million cotton farmers in India and China alone.

COUNTRIES GROWINGBIOTECH CROPS

20
Developing

8

Industrial
Industrial

USA
70.9

Brazil44.2

Argentina
24.5

TOP 5 COUNTRIES
GM crops grown in area
in million hectares

19

India
11.6

Canada11

Which GM crops are grown aroundthe world?
The most widely grown GM crops are soybean, maize, cotton
and rapeseed (canola). Other GM crops that have been
approved and grown around the world include sugar beet,alfalfa, papaya, squash, poplar, tomato, sweet pepper, potato,
rice and various flowers.
The four main GM crops have significant adoption rates. In
fact, the vast majority of soya beans and cotton grown today
are genetically modified. We import a lot of these GM harvests
into the EU to feed our farm animals, and to clothe ourselves.

> ISAAA slides
http://bit.ly/1Qc1eP2

Soybean83%

CottonMaize

Canola75%

29%
GLOBAL ADOPTIONRATES FOR PRINCIPAL
BIOTECH CROPS24%(IN %)
Source: James, C. (2015)20

Which improvements are the mostcommon?
Most of the GM crops grown commercially today have improved traits for herbicide tolerance, insect-resistance, or both(stacked traits). Other GM traits aim at disease resistance,
drought tolerance, health or nutritional benefits, longer shelf
life or more efficient industrial use.16> ISAAA slides
http://bit.ly/1Qc1eP2120

Herbicide tolerance
100

Stacked traits
80

Insect resistance (Bt)60

Developing
40

20

Source: James, C. (2015)

0
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15

20
1

8
20
09

20
0

20
07

05
20
06

03

04

21

20

20

20

01
20
02

20

9

20
00

98

19
9

19

19
97

0
19
96

million ha.

GLOBAL AREA OF BIOTECH CROPS BY TRAIT

Direct consumer benefits available
But not in Europe!
Recently, the first GM crops with direct consumer benefit traits
became available in North America. These include soya beansmodified to deliver healthier oil profiles, as well as potatoes
and apples which bruise or brown less, and can therefore
reduce food waste.
For more information on GM worldwide, please see
http://www.isaaa.org

22> ISAAA website
http://bit.ly/1pB8z3r

TRADE &APPROVALSOF GMOSIN THE EU23

24

Why does the EU import GM crops?
The EU is one of the world’s biggest importers of agriculturalcommodities. We import what we cannot or do not grow enoughof on our own soil. A substantial and increasing part of theseimports is based on GM crops. They are grown almost
exclusively in countries outside Europe, where farmers have thechoice between conventional and GM varieties.
European import dependency is particularly high for soybean
used in feed for EU livestock. EU domestic soybean production
covers less than 5% of the demand. We also import significant
quantities of GM maize and oilseed rape (colza) to meet ourneeds.
For cotton, we depend almost entirely on imports as finishedproducts.

25

EU depends on GM soya bean imports
The GM soya beans which are imported into the EU weighas much as we do – totalling more than 60 kg for each of the
EU’s 500 million citizens per year, an incredible number ofalmost 34 million tonnes. The EU spends about € 13 bn on
importing soya beans and soya meal. That’s more than on any
other agricultural commodity including coffee.

Today, GM varieties are the standard for soybeans.
Almost all soya is provided by South and North American countries, where GM technology adoption is over 90%. China is now
by far the biggest importer, ahead of the EU.

26

GM trade adds value in the EU> Factsheet GM trade
http://bit.ly/1S6h1DR> Factsheet
GMO import bans
http://bit.ly/2kn6PLm

We use soya beans to feed our cows, pigs and chickens17 and to
produce high quality milk and eggs. Substituting GM soy with
non-GM soy would lead to an increase in feed costs of around
10%18 for the livestock sector.

CANADA 0.9 MT*

U.S.A. 5.5 MT

BRAZIL 14.3 MT

PARAGUAY 2.2 MT

ARGENTINA 8.8 MT

OTHER COUNTRIES 1.9 MT

EU IMPORTS
OF SOYA BEANS
AND SOYA BEAN
MEAL FOR 2014
*MT = MILLION TONNES

27

Which GMOs can be imported
into the EU?
As of December 2016, a total of 55 GM crops were approved
for import and processing and/or for food and feed in Europe.19
More than half of those crops were types of GM maize. Other
crops included soybean, rapeseed, sugar beet and cotton.19> EU Register ofauthorised GMOs
http://bit.ly/1mmC20e

How is the safety of GM products
assessed in the EU?
All GM plants used for food and feed must undergo a rigorous review of their safety as part of
the authorisation procedure before they can be puton the market. In the EU, this task is carried out
by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),
whose panel of independent scientific experts
work closely with national authorities on foodsafety.
The risk assessment procedure includes comparative safetyassessments between the GMOs and their conventional counterparts, food/ feed safety studies, and assessments of potential environmental impact. The goal is to ensure that the GM
product is at least as safe for human and animal consumption
and for the environment as its conventional counterpart. Read
more on risk assessment20 and product safety21 in EuropaBio’s
factsheets.
28> Factsheet
Risk assessmentof GM plants
http://bit.ly/2kwp4NB> Factsheet
Product safety
http://bit.ly/2aoBdTP

A solid EU approval process
Specific GMO legislation outlines the approval process andguarantees that all GM products placed on the EU market are
as safe as their conventional counterparts.
1. Risk assessment is done ona case-by-case and step-by-step basis.

▼

2. When EFSA has completed the environmental, humanand animal health safety assessment, its scientific opinion
forms the basis of a Draft Decision to be proposed by
the European Commission.

▼

3. Member states vote on the European
Commission’s proposal.

▼

4. Once released, GMOs are subject to monitoring,
traceability and labelling: monitoring plans need to beapproved prior to marketing the product.
Traceability is ensured by labelling and administrative
records throughout the food chain.

▼

5. Public information: Information is provided to the publicthroughout the approval process.

29With this and comparable regulatory frameworks in place acrossthe world, GMOs are one of the most assessed food products
in history. Other widely consumed products, like coffee, might
not receive market authorisation if assessed in a similar way.
Still, people continue to consume coffee because the benefits
from drinking outweigh the (perceived) risks.

Political hurdles for imports in practice

Despite 20 years of history of safe use, EFSA,
the EU’s scientific bodythat is responsible for assessing food and feedsafety, is spending more
and more time on risk assessment of GM crops.

90
80

70
60

30

Risk assessment duration
Number of guidelines

50

25

20
15

40
30

10

20
5

10
0

2006
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Year the Opinion/Guidance was adopted

30

0

Cumulative number of EFSA Guidance documents

Slowing andpoliticised risk
assessment

Duration of EFSA risk assessment (months)

Despite its import dependency, the EU and its member statesoften unnecessarily delay import authorisations, impacting
farmers and threatening trade.

In fact, risk assessment timelines more than tripled in the EUfrom well under 2 to more than 6 years in the past decade(over 7 years from submission to approval). And as of January
2017, over 40 GM applications are pending at EFSA levelawaiting risk assessment.

YEAR 1YEAR 2 YEAR 3

As a comparison, the average time required for a complete
GM product approval is now under 2 years in the US, Brazil
and Canada. These countries have equally high standards forrisk assessment based on internationally recognised scientificprinciples.

31

Unlike other countries that have predictable and sciencebased assessment systems, data requirements in the EU keepchanging, often without scientific justification. For example,
EU-funded research confirmed that there is no need for new
animal testing studies that have been needlessly imposed on
the industry and animals. EFSA has itself called the studies
unnecessary.
Unfortunately, this situation is adding to unpredictability
concerning the approval timelines and repelling investors fromputting valuable resources into the EU. Read more here.20> Factsheet
Risk assessment
timelines
http://bit.ly/2jUOBB6

Stop!
Please move theball...
over there!

32

EU countries often vote against the science!
> Factsheet Member
states and GMOs
http://bit.ly/1CkI89F

Although there is ample evidence that GM foods are as safe
as conventional foods, some EU countries regularly voteagainst scientific advice22 in the product approval process,which each GMO has to complete before being placed on the
EU market.

Which countries voted
in favor of science in 2014?
PolandItaly

AgainstGermany

Abstain33

AbstainFranceAbstainEU “Opt-out” proposal
endangers trade
Following the adoption in 2015 of the EU’s “GMO cultivation
opt-out” legislation, which effectively allows individual EU
countries to ban their farmers from growing EU-approved GM
crops without scientifically justified grounds, in 2015, the EU
Commission proposed to also allow for GMO import “opt-outs”,
despite evidence which shows that EU import bans would cost
Europe dearly!18
If we continue to damage trade in soya for animal feed, werisk losing our export markets for European produced livestock
products. We may force EU livestock farmers out of business,leading to more imports of meat from abroad and higher prices
for European consumers.

34> Factsheet GMO
import bans
http://bit.ly/2kn6PLm

> Commissioner
V. Andriukaitis
http://bit.ly/2kn5Smq“Banning GM imports means doing away withour capability of producing food.”
Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner23

How does EU regulation affect innovationand trade?
Despite the EU’s dependency on imported GM crops, the EU
and its member states are hindering the development, application, and trade of this promising technology. The aforementioned approval delays and barriers represent obstacles totrade. These obstacles have already resulted in trade disruptions and higher prices for key agricultural commodities,
because the EU’s authorisation system is much slower thanthose in other developed countries. Even after product safety
is confirmed, many months are lost in administrative andpolitical processing before a variety that may already beapproved overseas is approved for import. As a result,shipments thought to contain traces of unapproved GM crops
in the EU may be sent back to the countries of origin. The overall related cost to the European economy of trade disruptions

35

could total up to €9.6 billion per year according to a reportpublished by the European Commission.24
The approval delays are not a matter of safety; after all,the crops waiting for authorisation in Europe have undergone a rigorous safety assessment at EU level.
The lack of timely implementation of EU policies on biotech
crops makes predictions about authorisations extremely
difficult. Without predictability in Europe, the food industry,
commodity traders and livestock farmers will face even greater
challenges in the future.

36

> USDA 2016 report
http://bit.ly/2jAAX5p“ The EU’s complex policy framework developed underpressure from antibiotech activists has limited research,development, and production of biotech crops. (...)
As part of their political strategy, their actions include
lobbying public authorities, acts of sabotage (destructionof research trials and cultivated fields), andcommunication campaigns to heighten public fears.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2016 Agricultural
Biotechnology Annual report for the EU25

While Europe scratches its head,
the rest of the world is moving ahead
The EU’s dysfunctional approval system and reluctance towards the adoption and import of GMOs has also had major
effects on farmers outside the EU. Many developing countries take inspiration from EU policy approaches, some European non-governmental organisations have been
spreading unfounded fears both within and outside of Europe, and the increased risk of trade disruptions as well as
lower productivity, increase world food prices. This tends tohit farmers and consumers in the developing countries thehardest.

37

CULTIVATION& BENEFITS

39
39

40

GMOs for the environment
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimatesthat global food supply must increase by 70%.26 It isestimated that nearly half the world’s population will beliving under severe water stress27 by 2030.
In order to meet global food challenges, we will have togrow more with less: less land, less input, less water andless energy. Making use of modern biotechnology helps toachieve:28• Lower losses and higher yields: GM crops can improve yields by 6%-30% on the same amount of land29,
avoiding the need to use land that is currently a havenfor biodiversity. In 2014, GMOs allowed farmers to use
over 20 million less hectares of land to produce the sameamount.30

41> FAO How to Feed
the World in 2050
http://bit.ly/1fjWWFX> Key impacts ofglobal GM crop use
http://bit.ly/2kn9N2w> Factsheet Farming& Environment
http://bit.ly/2ayGCZl> GMO Answers
http://bit.ly/2knhaHd

> GMO Answers
Factsheet on water
http://bit.ly/2k4i5yG• Soil protection: GM crops make it practical for growers
to control weeds with reduced or no ploughing or tillage.
In Argentina and the U.S., the use of herbicide-tolerantsoybean crops has reduced the number of tillage operations by up to 58%.31 No-till or low-till practices contributeto better carbon sequestration by carbon-enriched soils
and can cut CO2 emissions by saving on fuel consumption.

> Water Efficient
Maize for Africa
http://bit.ly/2jthN3t• Greenhouse gas emission savings: Reduced tillage
also means fewer trips by tractor, leading to lower fueluse and emissions.
• Water protection: Non-tilled soils trap moisture better,
reducing run-off into streams and rivers and contributing
to more efficient water use.32 Drought-tolerant GM crops
are now available. In addition, the public-private partnership Water Efficient Maize for Africa is developing GM
drought tolerant and insect resistant maize for smallholder
farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.33

GROWING BIOTECH CROPS

REDUCED C02 EMISSIONSBY 23.1 BILLION KG
Equivalent to taking

10.2 MILLION CARS OFF THE ROAD
FOR A YEAR
42

• Reduced Spraying: Crop biotechnology has reduced
pesticide spraying (1996-2014) by 581,000 tonnes (-8.2%).
This is equal to the total amount of pesticide active ingredient applied to crops in China for more than a year.5 In thecase of Spain, insect resistant GMO maize has enabled a
36% cumulative decrease of insecticide use on maize since1998 (544 tons of insecticide active ingredient).5 By reducing the frequency of activity required to remove weeds,
biotech improved crops not only reduce the use of inputs,
they save farmers time and money, leading to a more
efficient use of resources.

GMOs & sustainable development goals
The modernisation of agriculture has been the main driver ofprogress in reducing hunger and poverty – the first two United
Nations sustainable development goals.
The part of humanity that lives in extreme poverty and hunger
is smaller than ever before, but still 800 million people go
hungry, and over 3 million die from malnutrition each year.
Although millions of small, resource-poor farmers in developing countries now benefit annually from GM crops15, some of
the most severely affected countries have not yet granted
farmers access to the tools that can help them produce more
and better – including biotechnology and genetically modified
crops. Many countries are still banning GMOs even though
the FAO has acknowledged that biotechnology can help poor
farmers and consumers in developing nations34.
43> Global Benefits of
GM Crops
http://bit.ly/1sO7jx8

What’s in it for me as a consumer?
On the market:

ReducedpricesHealthieroils

ReducedtoxinsLowacrylamide

Ready to go to the market:

Life-saving
nutritious
rice

Being developed:

Gluten-free
wheat

Improved
flavor44

Longershelf life

Enhanced
nutrition

“Biotechnology for crop improvement must bepart of the response to societal challenges. The
EU is falling behind new international competitorsin agricultural innovation and this has implications
for EU goals for science and innovation, and forthe environment as well as for agriculture.”
European Academies of Science Advisory Council1

Already on the market:• Reduced price: GM crops help farmers improve yields,
which reduces prices for consumers.
• Healthier oils: Several soy and oilseed rape varieties
have been modified to produce healthier oils.
• Reduced toxins: Insect resistant maize can defend itself
from insect pests, thereby also limiting cancer-causing
mycotoxins. These mycotoxins come from naturally occurring fungi (molds) which enter into the maize throughthe holes left by insects. There are also potatoes which
produce less cancer-causing acrylamide during frying.

45> EASAC
http://bit.ly/1ezwEA1

Ready to go to the market:• Life-saving nutritious rice: Vitamin-A-enriched Golden
Rice can prevent blindness, disease and premature deaths.
Vitamin A deficiency is prevalent among the world’s poor
whose diets are based mainly on rice.
• Longer shelf life: Non browning apples and potatoes
have been authorised in North America, which can reducefood waste.

Being developed:> Factsheet
Consumer benefits
http://bit.ly/2ayFRQh• Gluten-Free wheat: Spanish researchers are working to
remove gluten proteins from wheat, which could improve thequality of lives of people with coeliac disease.
• Enhanced nutrition: Various projects are underway to enhance the nutritional value of crops like sorghum andcassava, which are so important for consumers in thedeveloping world.
• Improved flavor: Some GM foods, like the GM purple
tomato and a new pink variety of pineapple, are alreadyconsidered to be tastier than conventional varieties.
• Low acrylamide: GM technology can be used to reducelevels of asparagine, which is found in many starchy foods
and produces acrylamide, which is suspected to be a humancarcinogen. A GM potato with reduced levels of asparagine
has already been developed.
Read more here.35
46

Which GMOs are cultivated in the EU?
Only one GM crop is approved for cultivation in Europe – an
insect-resistant maize. It is currently being grown mostly in
Spain and Portugal. It was first approved in the EU in 1998 andhelps fight off insect pests. Despite its authorisation at EU level,
several member states ban their farmers from growing it.

Reaping the benefits of GM maize in Spain
Spain is the EU leader in planting insect resistant GM maize.
This particular GM maize (known as Bt maize) is resistant tothe corn borer plague that can cause losses of up to 30% of
the total crop and accounts for about one third of all maizegrown in Spain. Insect resistant maize cultivation in Spain has
resulted in numerous benefits, including:• higher yields where there are pest problems, varying on
average between 7.4% and 10.5%.
• quality benefits linked to reduced mycotoxins.
• economic benefits for farmers due to higher yields and alower use and costs of inputs like crop protection products
and fuel.
• social benefits for farmers due to increased flexibility andsimplicity in crop management.

47

> Benefits of Bt maizein Spain
http://bit.ly/2kwz79w• environmental benefits, including a smaller water footprint
and a higher fixation of carbon with important benefits forbiodiversity.
• Bt maize has also allowed Spain to be less dependent onmaize imports.36

Reduction of maize imports by over 1m tons
Water savings equivalent
to the use of almost 750.000 citizens
Farmers’ margins improved
by up to 147 € per hectare48

FARMERS AROUND THE WORLD

Reaping the benefits
in Europe
Name: Maria Gabriela Cruz
Profession: Maize farmer
Country: Portugal
Background: Gabriela is a fourth generation farmer in her
family farm. She holds a degree in agricultural engineering andhas found ways to practice sustainable farming.
Challenges: Pests pressure, soil erosion and need for water
conservation.
Opportunities: Biotech maize copes with high pest pressure
and reduces the use of insecticides by eliminating 3 applications.

> #FOODHEROES
http://bit.ly/2frDO2d“GM crops are a way to keep farmers on their land inEurope. If we don’t have more GM crops, we will becomeless competitive and have to import more food as well as
use less sustainable farming practices.”49

INNOVATION
& IP

51

52

Why do we need innovationin agriculture?
Boosting innovation across the agricultural system is essential
to grow more food with less impact on the environment.
Innovation in plant breeding, including GM technology, has already delivered phenomenal benefits, including improved
quality of seeds, higher productivity of crops, increased farmer
incomes, lower food prices, and reductions in energy
consumption and CO2 emissions.

How can IP help?
Modern plant breeding needs and benefits from intellectual
property (IP) protection, including plant variety protection rights(PVPs) and, in some cases, patents. Both of these tools help
drive innovation for more productive and sustainable seeds byproviding an incentive to innovators to take entrepreneurial
risks that benefit us all.

> IP52 Video
http://bit.ly/2j7XRop

More on the role of IP
in innovation in thisIP52 video37
53

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) ensure that public or private
developers of new technologies are rewarded for their efforts
and investments and that scientific knowledge is publishedand shared. This enables developers to continue to invest in
new technologies and products and innovation to flourish. The
many economic and societal gains obtained from biotech
innovations are therefore highly dependent on an effective IPR
system.
As in any high-tech industry, patent systems ensure return on
investment for the lengthy and costly process of research anddevelopment (R&D). New crops that have higher yields and/or
grow with less water are based on unique inventions. In orderfor the developer to be able to go the whole way from inventing
to producing and gaining market access, there needs to beadequate protection of the inventions to ensure the investments made along the way can be recovered at least in part.
At the same time, the transparency gained by publishing thescience which forms the basis of the patent protection encourages increased innovation.
Read more here.38

FAST FACTS
The industry’s top 10 companies annually invest about $2.25 billion, or
7.5 % of sales into developing new products.39
On average, it takes 13 years and $136 million to bring a biotech
commodity crop to market.40
54> Factsheet
Intellectual Property
http://bit.ly/2k4vCGl

A promising R&D pipeline– at least outside of Europe!
Who are the new developers?
Rise of China, India, Brazil and other emerging nations

Public institutions and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

What is being developed?
First generation: insect resistance and herbicide tolerance

Next generation: nutritional value, stress tolerance,
disease resistanceNew crops: emphasis on crops for developing world

New traits: climate change mitigation and adaptation

New techniques

55Why isn’t innovation faster?
Genetic modification of crops, which can be considered thefastest-adopted technology in the history of agriculture, mayalso be the most hindered innovation on the planet. The
regulatory processes around the world, perhaps most notably
in Europe, have become so long and arduous that they are
effectively stalling innovation from reaching farmers and consumers, especially in the developing world, where both yields
and livelihoods are stagnant. Whether it is through undue delays of GM crop approvals for import or cultivation, through unscientifically justified bans, or through neglecting the tools, like
intellectual property, that would catalyse innovation, Europe is
keeping the world and itself from meeting our food and farming
challenges.

56

Innovation for developing countries
Realising their potential to improve lives, the biotech industry
and public research centres are developing biotech varieties
for important staple crops such as cassava, bananas,sorghum and maize in developing countries.

> Laureates letter
http://bit.ly/299bttp• The Golden rice project – the vitamin A enriched rice isclose to commercial approval in the Philippines and was developed to prevent diseases such as blindness, caused byvitamin A deficiency.41 More than 120 Nobel laureates haveasked governments to reject Greenpeace’s campaign
against Golden Rice specifically, and crops and foods
improved through biotechnology in general, asking “Howmany poor people in the world must die before we consider
this a “crime against humanity”?42• BioCassava Plus project – improving the nutritional qualityof cassava, the primary source of calories for over 250 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa.43• Africa Biofortified Sorghum project – developing a more
nutritious and easily digestible sorghum that contains increased levels of amino acids, vitamins, iron and zinc.
Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop and themain dietary staple for more than 500 million people.44• Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) – developing
drought-tolerant maize, a staple that more than 300 million
Africans depend on as their main food source.45

57

More info? Join us onwww.europabio.org@EuropaBio

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