Agricultural Biotechnology Continues to Increase Crop Yield and Farmer Income Worldwide While Supporting the Environment

Business Wire, Feb 13, 2008

2007 Saw Many Historic Milestones in Plant and Animal Biotechnology

WASHINGTON -- Global use of biotech crops increased again in 2007, with global biotech crop acreage reaching a historic 282 million acres in 23 countries, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). Global biotech crop acreage increased nearly 12 percent from 2006, when 252 million acres of biotech crops were grown in 22 countries.

"The reason for such impressive worldwide adoption rates is simple -- agricultural biotechnology delivers significant and tangible benefits, all the way from farm to fork," said Jim Greenwood, president and chief executive officer of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). "Helping to provide for more sustainable agricultural production, the benefits include a reduction in the environmental impacts of agriculture, increased production on the same amount of acreage, improved food quality, and increased farmer incomes. More than 12 million farmers around the world have chosen biotech crops because of the significant socioeconomic, environmental, and agricultural benefit they provide."

Notably, the developing world continues to enjoy the benefits of biotech crops most aggressively. ISAAA reports that 11 million small, resource-poor farmers in 12 countries grew biotech crops in 2007, an 18 percent increase from 2006. While there is no easy and singular solution to starvation, many world organizations, such as the World Health Organization's Food Safety Department and the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization have noted that biotechnology can play an important role in expanding and enhancing the global food supply and improving the economics of poor rural communities.

This past year also showed record domestic acceptance of biotech crops according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with biotech crop acreage in the United States increasing in 2007 by 5.5 percent over 2006, for a total of 142.5 million acres. In 2007, 91 percent of U.S. acres of soybeans grown were biotech varieties, equivalent to 58.3 million acres. Acres of biotech corn grown in the United States increased by 12 percent in 2007 over 2006, for a total of 67.8 million acres of biotech corn, or 73 percent of all U.S. corn grown. Last year, 87 percent of cotton grown in the United States was biotech varieties -- a four percent increase over 2006.

The continued global acceptance of agricultural biotechnology demonstrates the benefits farmers recognize from choosing biotech crops. Agricultural biotechnology has helped enable large shifts in agronomic practices that have led to significant and widespread environmental benefits. No-till agriculture, in limited use prior to 1996, has been widely adopted due to the superior weed control from biotech crops that are able to tolerate the newer class of lower-impact herbicides. In addition, a reduction in plowing has also enabled farmers to significantly reduce the consumption of fuel and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. No-till farming also leads to better conservation of soil and water and a decrease in soil erosion and soil compaction. A 2007 study by the University of Washington showed that no-plow farming methods reduce erosion to almost natural, geologic rates. Plow-less farms lost an average of 0.02 mm of soil each year, an erosion rate close to the natural geologic rates of 0.03 mm per year. In contrast, annual soil loss on plow-based farms average 1.5 mm of erosion. The study also found that on average, conventional farms lost soil about 90 times faster than new soil is produced.

Biotechnology has also made possible pest control measures that are more precisely targeted at specific problem pests while dramatically reducing impacts on non-target species. Biotech varieties have dramatically reduced farmers' reliance on pesticide applications. Globally it is estimated that pesticide applications decreased six percent in the interval from 1996-2004, eliminating 379 million pounds of pesticide applications.

2007 also saw the introduction of several important regulations for plant biotechnology domestically and internationally that support smooth trade transactions, as well as support continued research into new biotech plant varieties.

Most significantly, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released a draft programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), an important first step in the review and revision of agricultural biotechnology regulations in the United States, commonly known as APHIS Part 340 regulations. The revision of agricultural biotechnology regulations is essential to maintaining strong oversight as technology progresses and provides newer and more beneficial products.

In March and May, the USDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) respectively announced their interim policy and final guidance for low level presence (or adventitious presence), which is the unintentional and incidental commingling of trace amounts of one type of seed, grain, or food product with another. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously announced its early food safety assessment for low level presence in 2006. The United States' science-based policies on low level presence have provided a model for the Codex Alimnetarius Commission, the international food standards body. In September, the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology reached consensus on and progressed an annex to the Codex Plant Guidelines that addresses safety assessments in situations of low level presence. Adoption of the annex is expected in 2008, signifying the first international standard for low level presence.