Recent research
The Science
| Science vs. Superstition: the case for a new scientific enlightenment |
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Edited by James Panton and Oliver Marc Hartwich, Policy Exchange, 2006 The report advocates a more positive attitude towards scientific innovation, challenging what the authors see as a common belief that scientific progress in today's world inevitably entails an element of danger or moral uncertainty. The report contains a collection of essays, including a chapter on genetic modification written by Matt Ridley, a former science correspondent for both the Economist and the Daily Telegraph. In his discussion of the technology, Ridley counters many of the myths associated with GM, and argues that it has the potential to provide real solutions to issues such as malnutrition and ill health in developing countries. The report can be found online at: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/Publications.aspx?id=291 |
| Trends in GM crop, food and feed safety literature |
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By Philippe Vain, Nature Biotech, 2007 Vain challenges the assertion that there is a lack of primary research articles focusing on genetically modified crops and food safety. He assesses the scale, composition and evolution of the GM crop, food and feed literature. He found that GM safety research was slow before 2000 but then experienced considerable growth. He argues that the multidisciplinary nature of the subject means that research is spread across different areas and publications and therefore its impact and visibility has been low but that it does indeed exist. A copy of this article can be found on the John Innes Centre website where Philippe Vain conducted research in this field: http://www.jic.ac.uk/staff/philippe-vain/Vain-NB-2007.pdf |
| Coexistence between GM and non-GM maize crops - tested in 2004 at the field scale level in Germany |
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By W. E. Weber, T. Bringezu, I. Broer, J. Eder, and F. Holz, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, Volume 193 Issue 2, 2007 Research was carried out to test the feasibility of coexistence between GM and non-GM maize under real-life agronomical conditions. The results of the 2004 pre-commercial plantings in Germany show that for maize, practical planting recommendations can be put in place to allow coexistence of conventional and GM crops. With the planting of a 20m buffer strip of conventional maize between GM and conventional fields a large part of the GM pollen can be captured.
The Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science can be accessed online at: |
| GM Science Review |
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By the GM Science Review Panel, 2004 The GM Science Review was conducted to help inform the Government's decision making on GM crops and food. The review was conducted by an independent panel led by Professor Sir David King (the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser). The Science Review was based on a wealth of accumulated peer-reviewed scientific evidence, associated with nearly 700 publications. It concluded that:
The Science Review can be found online at: http://www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk/report/default.htm |
GM crops around the world
| Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops: 2006 |
| By The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), 2007
In 2006, ISAAA found that the global area of biotech crops planted rose by 13%, or 30 million acres, reaching 252 million acres. For the first time, the number of farmers growing biotech crops exceeded ten million. There were 22 countries growing biotech crops comprising 11 developing countries and 11 industrial countries including Argentina, India, China, Australia, France and Germany. Further details can be found on the ISAAA website at: http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/35/default.html |
| GM Maize in the field: conclusive results |
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By ORAMA, 2007 In 2006, France saw a substantial increase in GM maize crops going from 500 hectares sown in 2005 to a total of 5,200 hectares in 2006. A Plant Institute in France assessed the data from fifteen sites in the maize growing areas of the country. They found the average efficiency of resisting the corn borer (the pest which the maize was modified to resist) was 99.6%. This resulted in an average gain in yield of more than 109% of the non-GM control crop. The full briefing paper can be accessed in English on the French General Association of Maize Growers website: http://www.agpm.com/en/iso_album/technical_results_btmaize_2006.pdf |
| Role of agricultural biotechnology in hunger and poverty alleviation for developing countries |
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By Prof. M.O. Makinde, Prof. J.R. Webster, Mr. N. Khumalo & Dr. D.P. Keetch, 2007 This paper describes the benefits of agricultural biotechnology for developing countries, which are highlighted in a case study on South Africa. It also explores the impact of Europe's "Go Slow" approach to agricultural biotechnology on developing countries. It suggests the benefits of growing GM crops are diverse and have already proven to be particularly relevant to developing countries because the benefits already experienced allow for less labour-intensive and a more simplified method of farming, whilst at the same time providing a higher crop yield. This is particularly relevant to developing countries where most farmers are resource-poor. Presently, the developing countries primarily benefiting from GM crops are situated in Asia and South America. The report is available online at: www.europabio.org/GreenManifesto/South%20African%20REPORT%20-%20FINAL.pdf |
Environmental Benefits
| Biofuels - is there a role for GM? |
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By Derek Burke, Biologist, Volume 54 Number 1, 2007 Burke suggests that GM crops can make a contribution in the development of a biofuels market, primarily because of their higher yield per hectare, in a situation where the amount of land available for cultivation will be a limiting factor. He explores which crops may be able to be grown in the UK, the advantages of GM rape and GM sugar beet in particular, and developments in other countries.
The article can be found on the Institute of Biology website at: |
| EU and U.S. Policies on Biofuels: Potential Impacts on Developing Countries |
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Coordinated by Marcos S. Jank, President, Institute for International Trade Negotiations (ICONE), 2007 The study analyses the impact of EU and US trade policies on biofuels production and export potential of different groups of developing countries that have engaged in the biofuels industry. It notes that tropical and subtropical developing countries have a real comparative advantage in the production of feedstock for biofuels end-use, such as cane sugar and palm oil. Currently the supply and demand of biofuels are not originating from the same place which, in theory, means there should be room for significant increases in international trade flows. However, the national policies enacted by the major biofuels consumers in the developed world might seriously reduce the export opportunities for developing countries.
The full analysis can be found at: |
| The truth about organic food |
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By Alex Avery, 2007 Avery examines the claims of the organic movement and concludes that organic foods are no more nutritious, safe or better for the environment than conventional produce. Avery assesses the facts from independent university studies, government sources and what organic activists have said. The book can be purchased online at: www.thetruthaboutorganicfoods.org |
| A novel approach to the use of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops for environmental benefit |
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By Alan M Dewar; Mike J May; Ian P Woiwood; Lisa A Haylock; Gillian T Champion; Beulah H Garner; Richard J Sands; Aiming Qi and John D Pidgeon, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Volume 270, Number 1513, 2003 Scientists from Broom's Barn Research Station in Suffolk carried out research into how GM herbicide tolerant crops could be used to benefit the environment and showed that the creative use of GM crops could bring back increasing numbers of endangered wildlife and birds such as skylarks and finches to the farmland. The research was based on a particular weed-management system for GM sugar beet, demonstrating that weeds can be retained for longer without affecting the crop yield. The weeds and associated insects provide vital food and habitats for farmland birds and other wildlife, numbers of which have dramatically declined as a result of intensive farming systems.
The full article can be found on the Royal Society website at: |
Economic benefits
| Economic Impact of Dominant GM Crops Worldwide: a Review |
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By the European Commission/JRC, 2006 In the first ten years since GM crops were introduced into agriculture a body of evidence accumulated by many research institutions and published in scientific journals. This evidence is assessed in this report to consider the economic effects of dominant GM crops worldwide. The report also forecasts the benefits should more EU countries decide to grow such crops. It estimates that if 75% of French rapeseed farmers grew the GM variant, they would save €24 million in weeding costs per season. Similar benefits were calculated in the UK. The full report can be found online at: www.jrc.es/publications/pub.cfm?prs=1458 |
| Global impact of biotech crops: socio-economic and environmental effects in the first ten years of commercial use |
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By PG Economics, 2007 Ten years since GM crops were first grown, PG Economics considered the socio-economic and environmental effects of this commercial development. The study concluded that there has been substantial net economic benefits at the farm level amounting to $27 billion whilst reducing the environmental impact associated with agricultural practices.
The full report can be found at: |
| Economic consequences for UK farmers of growing GM herbicide tolerant sugar beet |
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By M J May, Annals of Applied Biology, Volume 142 Issue 1, 2003 This study concluded that if all sugar beet in the UK was GM the overall savings, net of technology fee included in the seed price, would be £23m per year. A major part of this saving is the 80% reduction in expenditure on herbicides. The report observed that the reduced cost of beet production if GM herbicide tolerant crops were adopted could be critical to the establishment and economic viability of an ethanol based biofuel industry in the UK, boosting the rural economy and helping the UK to meet its EU and Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emission commitments."
The paper was published in the peer reviewed scientific journal, Annals of Applied Biology and can be found at: |