GMOs GMOs IOPD IX San Francisco June 16—17, 2006 GMOs: CURRENT STATUS

FROM 1995 to 2005: VERY RAPID GROWTH 1995: First marketing of GMOs In 2005: 90 million hectares (80 million ha in 2004) 8.5 million producers 21countries including 11 developing countries Annual Report of the ISAAA: International Service for the Agrobiotech Applications. GMOs: INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

Soybeans remains the most widespread GM crop worldwide, with 54.5 Mha ahead of corn (21.2 Mha, cotton (9.8 Mha) and rapeseed (4.6 Mha). 6% of acreage under soybeans is GM versus 28% under cotton, 17% under rapeseed and 15% under corn. MAJOR GM CROPS GMOs: INTERNATIONAL GROWTH Mha Acreage under GMOs % of GMOs Soybeans Corn Cotton Rapeseed

Herbicides tolerant71% Insect resistant Varieties with both characteristics 10 Mha (gene stacking). Anticipated:. Nitrogen air fixation (fertilization). Resistance to drought. Qualitative changes MAIN FEATURES: HERBICIDE TOLERANT - INSECT RESISTANT GMOs: INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

MAJOR COUNTRIES (in Mha) USA USA 50 Mha Soybeans, Corn, Cotton, Rapeseed Argentina Argentina 17 Soybeans, Corn, Cotton Brazil Brazil 10 Soybeans (out of 22 million hectares) Canada Canada 6 Rapeseed, Corn, Soybeans China China 3 Cotton Paraguay Paraguay 2 Soybeans India India 1.5 Cotton Remark: Brazil, its decision to authorize is recent (March 2004): Rapid growth expected in the next few years: 5 million ha in 2004 and 10 million in GMOs: INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

5 Member States are growing GMOs Acreage in production Spain50,000 ha France500 to 1,000 ha (5,000 to 6,000 considered in 2006) Italy780 ha Germany 400 ha Czech Republic300 ha Cultivation of GM faces strong opposition, but progress is being made nevertheless GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

A MAJOR PATH TO IMPROVEMENTS BUT THAT STIRS CONTROVERSY AND PASSIONS Arguments AGAINST Arguments FOR Food risk (mostly mentioned when GMOs were beginning to spread) Agricultural productivity (yields, lower inputs) Environmental risk The spreading of the gene Environmental gains (decrease in chemical treatments, controlling soil erosion) Ethics and politics (transgression of nature and appropriation of the living by a few multinational corporations) The quality of farm produce (the second generation of GMOs brought qualitative changes) GMOs: PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES

USA – Canada - ArgentinaUSA – Canada - Argentina Well accepted BrazilBrazil Opposition is real: a decision has unlocked the situation EuropeEurope Very strong obstacles GMOs: DIFFERENT ANSWERS DEPENDING ON THE COUNTRY

Carthagena Protocol precautionary principle2002: recognition of the precautionary principle mandatory labelingMach 2006: agreement on mandatory labeling (applicable in 6 years) for international trade. WTO Compliance with SPS and ADPIC rules GMOs: INTERNATIONAL RULES ARE BEING DRAFTED

EUROPE: A PARADOXICAL SITUATION A major GMO importer (soybeans), and of meat from livestock farming using GMOs.A major GMO importer (soybeans), and of meat from livestock farming using GMOs. Production that is still insignificant (the planting of only a few varieties is authorized, problems in implementing co- existence).Production that is still insignificant (the planting of only a few varieties is authorized, problems in implementing co- existence). GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Politicians are reluctant to make decisions. European Parliament: a very strong opposition. Some Regions (40 regions within 6 countries) claiming a right to declare themselves GMO-free. Decision-making is left to the European Commission as a last resort. EU: PUBLIC OPINION IS HARD TO PERSUADE GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Citizens declare themselves reluctant, but how would consumers behave? European consumers are not necessarily prepared to pay more for GMO-free produce. The responsibility of the retailer companies “GMOs-free” has been used as a marketing argument… GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

AUTHORIZATION AUTHORIZATION (2001/18)  Risk assessment (EFSA)  Renewable 10 year authorization  Monitoring after commercialization MARKETING MARKETING (1829 and 1830/2003)  Labeling for food and feed  Traceability: along entire food chain  Threshold 0.9 % for unintentional contamination Under discussion: coexistence and seeds (everything dealing with cultivation) GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Established legal provisions

Subsidiarity principle: The Commission has set guidelines Member States must define national rules (in compliance with the guidelines) Guidelines: - The two types of crops must be made possible everywhere, under viable economic conditions - Liability issues in the event of an accidental GMO dissemination shall be assessed in terms of economic loss - Possibility of implementing insurance systems or compensation funds GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COEXISTENCE COEXISTENCE:

National laws: Spain: real experience in coexistence (50,000 hectares of BT corn) Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Czech Republic, and France enacted laws (or are debating new legislation) GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COEXISTENCE COEXISTENCE:

Waiting for a Commission proposal setting unintentional contamination thresholds Requesting an economically viable threshold: 0.5% (A study by the Joint Research Center recently concluded that a threshold of 0.5% for seeds was compatible with the 0.9% threshold for crops) GMOs: SITUATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION SEEDS SEEDS:

A need to maintain competitiveness of European productions : - Openness to innovation: support for research, and for the expansion of biotechnologies in the European Union - Implementation of cultivation practices ensuring coexistence under economically viable conditions - Equal treatment between Community production and imports. Importance of communication and transparency towards consumers and citizens EUROPEANS PRODUCERS IN THE FACE OF GMOs