Genetically Modified (GM) crops could be accepted
across Europe in less than 10 years, despite the UK government’s
“shameful” reluctance at present.
That was the prediction of Cranfield University’s Sean Rickard, speaking at
the
British Potato 2007 conference in Harrogate (28 November).
“Biotechnology is the next big technology driver in the world
and the only way we can respond to the challenges of climate change
is through GM. It is shameful of our government that we now lag
behind the rest of the world.”
But the government had not dismissed the technology completely
and public acceptance was increasing, he said. “In the next two or
three years consumers will be prepared to experiment with GM. Once
consumers and supermarkets stances’ change, things will move very
quickly.”
What benefits does GM offer?- Plant resistance to allow cropping of marginal land e.g. saline
resistance, drought tolerance
- Reduced chemical inputs and use of more benign products e.g.
Roundup-ready crops
- Include traits to make crops better-able to withstand new pests
and diseases e.g. blight resistance, insect resistance (Bt corn) =
more consistent yields
- High starch potato crops – potential to use the crop for
biofuel
- GM could turn commodity crops into value-added
- Build in various health
benefits
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The University of
London’s Sir Colin Berry agreed. “Hundreds of millions of
people worldwide have been eating GM crops for the best part of 15
years now, with no ill effects. Most questions have been answered
and we’re ignoring a lot of positive things GM can offer.” The
economic cost of not adopting GM technology had already been
estimated at £2-3bn, but the UK had also lost much of its
scientific expertise in this area to other non-European countries,
he said.
Mr Rickard said the general public had an “irrational fear” of
GM technology, whipped up by the media, and it was down to the
farming industry and scientists to educate people about the
benefits it could deliver. This was particularly relevant given a
predicted 50% increase in world population by 2050, pressure to
find alternatives to oil and the impact climate change could have
on global cropping.
Ethical food growth could halt GM
acceptance
The growth in ‘ethical food’ such as
organic
and Fair Trade lines could prove to be a limiting
factor in the uptake of GM food by consumers – in the short term at
least. Premium markets are worth around £15bn per year and expected
to grow to £20bn in five years time, which would outperform the
broader grocery market, said IGD chief economist James Walton.
Some 83% of households bought something organic last year and
the Fair Trade market alone was worth £250m per year.
“Until recently ethical food tended to be the preserve of
hippies and eccentrics, but ethics have become mainstream and
consumers are a lot more aware of the effects of their buying
decisions.” Much of this had been driven by the media, he said.
“Media interest in good eating has never been stronger. Suppliers
have real potential to
prosper.”
Crops that required little or no processing, such as dairy,
eggs, fruit and vegetables, were most likely to be bought by
‘ethical shoppers’ as there was a clear association with the grower
and land, he added.
Will the pressure to secure food supplies convince UK
consumers to accept GM technology? Tell us what you think at
www.fwi.co.uk