Council calls for easing of restrictions on GM crops

Published on Tuesday 22 January 2008 20:07

EUROPEAN farmers must be given the tools to produce more food, if targets to feed a rapidly expanding world population are to be achieved.

The alternative will be to source agricultural produce from the global market where the control of supply, quality and sustainable means of production will be limited.

So says Dr Colin Ruscoe, of the British Crop Production Council, who believes politicians have seriously misjudged the true market situation in both the medium and longer term.

He said: "In 25 years, there will be an extra 1.7 billion mouths to feed and there are growing pressures already being placed upon Europe's farmers, (who are] struggling to meet the demands placed upon them both by society and global competition."

Ruscoe believes that increased food and biofuel supply can only be achieved by bringing more land into production or through increasing crop yields.

However, it is estimated that only 10 per cent of the available land in the world is of sufficient quality to produce worthwhile crops. In any event, bringing more land into production is likely to have a considerable impact on the environment.

But Ruscoe said productivity could be raised without putting more land under the plough.

He said: "Cereal and potato crops, for example, are only at 60-70 per cent of their yield potential, which can be realised through a combination of both biotechnology and chemical approaches. Farmers will be able to respond to production challenges if they are allowed to use the most effective technologies."

Genetically modified (GM) crops appear the answer to many supply problems.

Ruscoe said: "GM crops can deliver greater and faster yield improvements than conventional breeding. They reduce reliance on agrochemical sprays and reduce emissions.

"But, unfortunately, the GM opposition in Europe has undermined agro-business, driving plant biotechnology research to the US and Far East."

Proposals before the European Parliament would result in even more restrictive legislation on crop chemicals. This would make it increasingly difficult for crop-protection companies to gain approval for new products.

Ruscoe said: "This will affect European farm production, leading to higher prices, a reduction in locally-produced food and a greater dependence on imports – and it will not make our food any safer.

"It's not difficult to see that if European agro-environmental policies continue to deny farmers the use of technologies to achieve production increases, it will affect the EU economically and limit our ability to protect the environment."