Posted on 20-9-2002

Seeds of Doubt

The Seeds of Doubt report was written by Gundula Meziani and Hugh Warwick.
It was launched in 13 different countries on the 17th September 2002.

The UK government and farming community will soon make a fundamental
long-term decision: whether to allow genetically modified (GM) crops to be
commercially grown in the UK. The picture the biotechnology industry has
painted of GM crops in North America is one of unqualified success, after
six years of commercial growing. The objective of this report was to assess
whether this image is accurate and if not what problems have occurred. We
present interviews with North American farmers about their experiences of
GM soya, maize and oilseed rape, and review of some of the independent
research.

The evidence we have gathered demonstrates that GM food crops are far from
a success story. In complete contrast to the impression given by the
biotechnology industry, it is clear that they have not realised most of the
claimed benefits and have been a practical and economic disaster.
Widespread GM contamination has severely disrupted GM-free production
including organic farming, destroyed trade and undermined the
competitiveness of North American agriculture overall. GM crops have also
increased the reliance of farmers on herbicides and led to many legal
problems.

Six years after the first commercial growing of GM crops, the use of
genetic engineering in global agriculture is still limited. Only four
countries including the US and Canada grow 99 per cent of the GM crops
grown worldwide, and just four crops account for 99 per cent of the global
area planted to GM crops. In the UK, we have a choice over whether to
remain GM-free.

Our findings show that GM crops would obstruct the government from meeting
its policy objective that farming should become more competitive and meet
consumer requirements. It would also prevent it from honouring its public
commitment to ensure that the expansion of organic farming is not
undermined by the introduction of GM crops. The Soil Association believes
this report will contribute towards a more balanced and realistic debate on
the likely impacts of GM crops on farming in the UK and assist an informed
decision on the commercialisation of GM crops.

Farming impacts The direct impacts of GM crops on farmers in North America
are examined in chapters 3 6 , 8 and 9. Many of the claimed benefits have
not been seen in practice and several unforeseen problems have emerged:

* The profitability of growing GM herbicide tolerant soya and insect
resistant Bt maize is less than non-GM crops, due to the extra cost of GM
seed and because lower market prices are paid for GM crops

* The claims of increased yields have not been realised overall except
for a small increase in Bt maize yields. Moreover the main GM variety
(Roundup Ready soya) yields 6 11 per cent less than non-GM varieties

* GM herbicide tolerant crops have made farmers more reliant on
herbicides and new weed problems have emerged. Farmers are applying
herbicides several times; contrary to the claim that only one application
would be needed. Rogue GM oilseed rape plants ('volunteers ') have become a
widespread problem in Canada

* Farmers have suffered a severe reduction in choice about how they
farm as a result of the introduction of GM crops. Some are finding
themselves locked intogrowing GM crops.

Contamination In chapter 7 we look at GM contamination, which has been the
single greatest problem. Widespread GM contamination has occurred rapidly
and caused major disruption at all levels of the agricultural industry, for
seed resources, crop production, food processing and bulk commodity
trading. It has undermined the viability of the whole North American
farming industry:

* Contamination has caused the loss of nearly the whole organic oilseed
rape sector in the province of Saskatchewan, at a potential cost of
millions of dollars. Organic farmers are struggling practically and
economically; many have been unable to sell their produce as organic due to
contamination

* All non-GM farmers are finding it very hard or impossible to grow
GM-free crops. Seeds have become almost completely contaminated with GMOs,
good non-GMvarieties have become hard to buy, and there is a high risk of
crop contamination

* Because of the lack of segregation, the whole food processing and
distribution system has become vulnerable to costly and disruptive
contamination incidents. In September 2000, just one per cent of unapproved
GM maize contaminated almost half the national maize supply and cost the
company, Aventis, up to $1 billion.

Economic impacts The economic impact of GM crops is the focus of chapter
10. GM crops have been an economic disaster. As well as the lower farm
profitability, GM crops have been a market failure internationally. Because
of the lack of segregation, they have caused the collapse of entire exports
to Europe and a loss of trade with Asia:

* Within a few years of the introduction of GM crops, almost the entire
$300 millionannual US maize exports to the EU and the $300 million annual
Canadian rape exports to the EU had disappeared, and the US share of the
world soya market had decreased

* US farm subsidies were meant to have fallen over the last few years.
Instead they rose dramatically, paralleling the growth in the rea of GM
crops. The lost export trade as a result of GM crops is thought to have
caused a fall in farm prices and hence a need for increased government
subsidies, estimated at an extra $3 $5 billion annually

* In total GM crops may have cost the US economy at least $12 billion
net from1999 to 2001.

Legal issues GM contamination has led to a proliferation of lawsuits and
the emergence of complex legal issues (chapter 11 ):

* One of the most unpleasant outcomes of the introduction of GM crops
has been the accusations of farmers infringing company patent rights. A
non-GM farmer whose crop was contaminated by GMOs was sued by Monsanto for
$400,000

* While biotechnology companies are suing farmers, farmers themselves
are turning to the courts for compensation from the companies for lost
income and markets as a result of contamination. In Canada, a class action
has been launched on behalf of the whole organic sector in Saskatchewan for
the loss of the organic rape market.

Farmers ' response The severe market problems have led many North American
farmers to seriously question the further development of GM crops (chapters
10 and 11 ):

* Many US farm organisations have been urging farmers to plant non-GM
crops this year

* The US and Canadian National Farmers Unions, American Corn Growers
Association, Canadian Wheat Board, organic farming groups and more than 200
other groups are lobbying for a banor moratorium on the introduction of the
next major proposed GM food crop, GM wheat

* With the support of several farming organisations, federal
legislation was tabled in Congress in May 2002 ,to introduce GM labelling
and liability rules in the US.

A full copy of the report can be purchased from the Soil Association
website www.soilassociation.org