London (14.11.09) – Aside from the UK, where the signal event in recent weeks has been the publication of the Royal Society report on science and the sustainable intensification of global agriculture (1), positive, negative and uncertain developments have been reported from other countries as well as from the EU itself.

In the early part of this year agriocultural biotechnology situation in Germany deterirorated rapidly as the government unexpectedly and arbitrarily decided to ban the cultivation of BT-maize MON 810 which had been going on for years without trouble (2). The action was widely regarded as being politcally motivated: a general election was approaching and parties were optimising their public perceptions as they percveived them. What better than go straight to the bottom and ban GM cultivation as a sop to the political environmentalists?

The election is over and a realignment has taken place with the market-oriented Free Democrats replacing the centre-left Social Democrats. While Ilse Aigner, the agroculture minister who banned MON 810 (the ultimate fate of the ban, we understand, awaits a further court decision on an action against the ban by Monsanto), retains her ministerial role, the overt position of the government has changed significantly.

The new coalition government not advocates responsible use of plant biotechnology in Germany. An agreement between the partners has endorsed the cultivation of genetically modified Amflora starch potatoes, flexible, regionally determined minimum distances between fields with genetically modified crops and fields with conventional crops, and positive ‘GM-free’ labelling at European level. As far as the German cultivation ban on MON810 maize is concerned, the coalition intends to await the outcome of an ongoing court case (3). There is also a move to change the Genetic Engineering Act to allow the federal states to set their own minimum separation distances between fields with genetically modified plants and fields with organic or conventional crops.

The Amflora decision is important (4). This is a GM strain of potatoes intended only for starch production and not for consumption. The Amflora potato has been locked in an approval process for 13 years, despite the European Food Safety Authority several times arguing it was safe to grow. "It is now up to the commission to approve. After 13 years you would think they could come to a decision”, said Ralf-Michael Schmidt of BASF Plant Science.

Another positive move has come from Denmark where the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has released a report on GMO's showing that the production of genetically modified (GM) crops has the potential to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 (5). Danish trials show that GM crops give farmers an opportunity to achieve the same harvest yield with reduced use of pesticides and the report also notes that GM crops are a promising route for generating plants better able to resist the vagaries of climate change.

Mrs. Eva Kjer Hansen, the Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, is quoted as saying that “eight percent of the world's agricultural land is used for growing GM crops, and GMOs have a positive potential that we must consider seriously” (6). She continued: “It would be unwise of us not to choose genetic technologies simply because we do not have sufficient information - these technologies have the potential to contribute to meeting the challenges facing us in terms of the climate and the environment as well as in questions of sufficient food supply." She also noted that a fifth of all Europeans wrongly believed that theiown genes would be modified if they were to eat GM food; she hoped her report would help to dispel myth like that.

The third item favourable to the the technology is the approval by the European Union for import (but not for cultivation) of a maize stack strain carrying both the Herculex® RW trait protecting against rootworm (7) and Roundup Ready® Corn 2 which confers toletrance to the herbicide glyphosate and so facilitates weed control.

And lastly on the plus side, Turkey is going to allow the import of GMOs (9) with the ineviable outcry from the Organization of Cultivation Engineers and others who oppose (10).

However, not eveything has been so favourable. Like Iceland and others before (8), the Irish government has moved to ban the cultivation of GM crops, a political deal between the government coalition partners. It is significant, however, that imports have not been touched, just as well considering the deopendence of the Irish livestock industry on imported fodder and that shananegans in Brussels over zero tolerance (v. inf.)

And so, finally, to Brussels where the reluctance to deal with the issue of a policy zero tolerance to the import even of tiny quantities of unapproved GM strains is causing ever more concern in the meat trade and elsewhere. Some see the approaching advent of a new Commission as offering a hope of resolution although "We are not expecting anything in the next few months, while commissioners fit into their new portfolios”, said Alexander Döring, secretary general of the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation Fefac) (11). Such is the nature of the political process, Europe's ban on even small traces of GM crops has denied an estimated 180,000 tonnes of US soy entry to the region, with many further shipments shelved for fear of contamination being found.

However, even if approval for the outstanding strains were given soon, some obervers see further trouble ahead (12). Although approval has recently been given for three types of GM maize (MON88017 and MON89034, from Monsanto, and 59122xNK603 from Pioneer), there are at least four types at issue, with MIR604 from Syngenta still awaiting approval.

Worse may be to come because of zero tolernace. Some observers see this crop gap between the United States and Europe as growing starker each year, and an emergency could be imminent. "When is the crisis big enough to become a problem? This summer, large cargos have been held in Germany and Spain," said Hilde Willekens of Syngenta. Without U.S. soybeans, the whole feed market could collapse, and yet Europe "doesn't respond as if it is important." (13). And the problem is likely only to get worse because a “rich pipeline of GM crops is emerging from countries that have previously produced little in the way of new research. China, Brazil and Argentina are investing heavily in the field, inserting new traits in rice, tobacco, sugar cane and cassava, for example. While currently there are around 30 commercial GM events cultivated worldwide, by 2015 there could be over 120 (12).

Cyprus, however, fears a hefty fine over their embargo on biofuel produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The EU warned Cyprus in 2007 that the clause violated EU legislation but it has remained unchanged since but MPs said the decision to keep the clause was conscious and unanimous in a bid to keep Cyprus GMO free. Moreover, there is a tax of €27/tonne for a certificate saying the imported biofuel is not made from GMOs – but no one can check the authenticity of the certificate (14). Soy shipments have been stopped in Spain, Germany and Denmark, all of which found traces of a new breed of GM corn; almost invariably, traces of this dust have mingled in the long progression soy makes from U.S. fields through grain elevators, freight trains and ocean vessels across the Atlantic.

Sources:

1. £2 billion needed for science ’Grand Challenge’ to help feed the world. The Royal Society (21.10.09) (http://royalsociety.org/news.asp?id=8827)

2. German biologists on the recent ban on Bt-maize. CropGen (15.9.09) (http://www.cropgen.org/article_267.html)

3. Plant biotechnology to receive more support. Truth about Trade & Technology (26.10.09) (http://www.truthabouttrade.org/content/view/15065)

4. Mike Abram (2.11.09). German government endorses growing of GM starch potato. Farmers Weekly (http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2009/11/02/118539/German-government-endorses-growing-of-GM-starch-potato.htm)

5. GMOs – what´s in it for us? (Danish) Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (2009) (http://pdir.fvm.dk/Admin/Public/DWSDownload.aspx?File=/Files/Filer/Virksomheder/GMO/Publikationer/Pub_GMO-syntese_engelsk.pdf)

6. GMO crops can help climate and environment, according to a new report from the Danish Food Ministry. Checkbiotech (18.9.09) (http://checkbiotech.org/node/27454)

7. Schäden in Norditalien. Maiswurzelbohrer macht Lombardei zum Katastrophengebiet (Damage in northern Italy. Maize corn rootworm turns Lombardy into a disaster area). AgrarHeute (12.8.09) (http://www.agrarheute.com/pflanze/mais_und_%D6lsaaten/maiswurzelbohrer_macht_lombardei_zum_katastrophengebiet.html?redid=309265)

8. GM-free zone. Slow Food International (27.10.09) (http://www.slowfood.com/sloweb/eng/dettaglio.lasso?cod=3E6E345B191352C3FBujI3D4B4DD)

9. Turkey allows GMO to be imported. soL English (4.11.09) (http://english.sol.org.tr/news/turkey/turkey-allows-gmo-be-imported-925)

10. Turkey - GM food scandal. Meat Trade News (9.11.09) (http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/091109/turkey___gm_food_scandal.aspx)

11. Brussels shake-up denies feed squeeze a solution. Agri Money (28.10.09) (http://www.agrimoney.com/news/brussels-shake-up-denies-feed-squeeze-a-solution--910.html)

12. Growing number of genetically modified crops worldwide could disrupt international trade. European Commission Joint Research Centre (3.9.09) (http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=2300&obj_id=2470&dt_code=PRL)

13. GMO approval may not help US soy shipments to EU. Reuters (2.11.09) (http://www.reuters.com/article/CHMMFG/idUSN0245548220091102)

14. George Psyllides (26.9.09). Hefty EU fines over GMO embargo. Cyprus Mail (http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=48021&cat_id=1)

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