Farmers from three continents recently agreed that approvals on key traits developed with biotechnology will be just as important as increased yields in meeting increasing global demand. Farmers can do their part in helping to obtain the necessary approvals by educating the public on biotech’s benefits, said the farmers from Argentina, England and Nebraska during a panel discussion at the recent International Biotechnology Symposium in Champaign, Ill.
By 2030, the amount of grain-producing land per capita is projected to drop to a third of what it was in 1950. On top of that, farmers will be expected to double agricultural output by 2050 to meet the needs of a world population that will grow to 9 billion people in that same time span, according to a soy-checkoff-funded report.
Growing varieties enhanced through biotechnology can help farmers solve this impending situation, but a lack of approvals on some biotech events prevents farmers from using them and impedes efficient trade flows necessary for meeting increased food demand.
Soy checkoff leaders joined farmers, regulators, technology providers and agribusiness leaders from 16 countries at the symposium. They discussed the current biotechnology-regulatory environment and the bottleneck that affects U.S. soybean farmers’ access to global markets. The checkoff funds efforts to demonstrate biotech’s benefits in regions and countries where market access for U.S. soy could be an issue, such as the European Union (EU).
Due to its “zero-tolerance” policy on GMOs and inefficiencies related to the implementation of the risk management phase of its approval process, it is estimated there will be 127 biotech traits awaiting EU approval by 2015.
“Biotech approvals in the EU are only partially driven by science. Once a GM trait receives safety clearance by the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA), its approval is often held up during the risk management phase by EU and Member States’ authorities due to political reasons,” says Teresa Babuscio, Ph.D., secretary general of COCERAL, which is the EU association representing the trade of grains and oilseeds, among other commodities. “In order for farmers to stay current with biotech approvals, they need to keep the flow of information open with the rest of the supply chain, especially with exporters that trade their commodities to importing regions of the world, such as the EU.”
To increase production and feed a growing population with higher incomes, several changes need to be made, according to Dick Crowder, Ph.D., former chief agriculture negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
“Early technology adoption is an important management practice for farmers to implement,” says Crowder. “And as farmers become more globally oriented, marketing will increasingly come into play to meet specific needs of diverse customers around the world.”
Other changes include new policies, new crop-production locations (using the land for its most productive use), improved infrastructure and better management throughout the entire food chain. They’ll also need a biotech approval system that’s science-based, timely, transparent and predictable, he says.
Meta-Description: Soybean farmers and agribusiness leaders address current biotechnology regulatory environment to raise awareness of the growing food demand and the bottleneck that affects U.S. soy farmers’ profitability.
Source : unitedsoybean.org