JRC study shines new light on GM crops
The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released its findings on the performance of genetically modified (GM) crops cultivated in the EU. The report is titled 'Adoption and performance of the first GM crop introduced in EU agriculture: Bt maize in Spain'. The survey was undertaken in the three leading Bt maize growing regions of Spain, namely Aragon, Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha. These three regions account for 90% of the Bt maize growing area of Spain as of 2006. Farmers involved from three provinces within these regions, Zaragoza, Lleida and Albacete, were producing Bt maize for feed purposes. According to the JRC, scientific analysis and data on the agronomic and economic impact of genetically modified crops in the EU is lacking. In part, this is due to the fact that there is only one GM crop which can be grown for commercial use. This is a type of maize, known as Bt maize, which has been modified to be resistant to maize borer attacks. The aim of the study was to gather information on the agronomic and economic performance of Bt maize during three growing seasons, from 2002 - 2004. This data was then supported by an analysis which was made on the socioeconomic profile of farmers who adopted Bt maize against those who did not. The results of the analysis were mixed. Only one region witnessed a significant increase in yield, Zaragoza, which saw an increase of 11.8%. What was interesting to note, was that since all maize produced was sold for feed, no premium was paid to farmers for producing non-GM maize. As a result, the farmers growing Bt maize were able to witness a greater return as they were able to produce more than non-GM producing farmers. The study took into account that the Bt maize producing farmers initially paid more for the seeds than conventional growers, but the upshot of it was that they had reduced insecticide use and costs. On average, growers of conventional maize applied an average of 0.86 insecticide treatments per year to control pests, versus an average 0.32 per year applied by Bt maize growers. Once everything was taken into consideration the report discovered that the 'impact of Bt maize adoption on gross margin obtained by farmers in different provinces ranged from neutral to €122 per hectare, per year.' However, they also found evidence that not all farmers were motivated by economic benefits in adopting Bt maize; the most common reason quoted by farmers in the survey for adopting Bt maize was 'lowering the risk of maize borer damage', followed by 'obtaining higher yields'. The study concludes by highlighting an important factor that must be considered in any future adoption of GM crops: that is the potential costs that will be incurred in taking action that will allow for their co-existence with non-GM crops. Currently there is no framework in place for coexistence.