correspondence

1 out of 27—European politicians score poorly in agbiotech

To the Editor: for food and agriculture, have been fully that the US government regards agricultural We wish to express our concern and dismay attended by EU member states and have as a key area in which its own at the apparent lack of intergovernmental led to agreement on International Plans of public and private sector R&D can be usefully engagement by European governments Action. deployed to assist in the challenge of food regarding the proven positive roles of modern Over the past few years, there has been security in developing countries. biotechnologies as key tools supporting a great deal Many efforts to address the issue of food security, of rhetoric ABDC-10 especially in developing countries. This was from EU delegates shown clearly by the failure of 26 of the 27 governments expressed members states of the to and national puzzlement at send any official government delegations to European the stark lack participate and engage in the recent United organizations of attendance Nations Food and Agriculture Organization about the from (FAO; Rome) intergovernmental conference importance official EU (ABDC-10) on ‘Agricultural biotechnologies of global food government in developing countries’ (http://www.fao. security and representatives org/biotech/abdc/en/). The Netherlands was the need for a and the the only EU member state to send an official multi-pronged negative

government delegate to ABDC-10. approach from FAO message that The conference1, which took place both developed this conveyed ABDC-2010 is the 2nd FAO conference to focus on the in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 1–4, and developing about the potential of agbiotech in developing countries. 2010, was concerned with the full range of countries. The willingness agricultural biotechnologies used in food desirability of of European and agriculture, including the improvement a “multifaceted and linked global strategy… countries to facilitate the exploitation of

© 2010 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights Inc. America, Nature © 2010 of plant varieties and animal populations to ensure sustainable and equitable food European agricultural research to increase their yields; characterization security” was highlighted recently by an for the strengthening of food security in and conservation of genetic resources; eminent group of European experts that developing countries. This was even more plant or animal disease diagnosis; vaccine included the UK government chief scientist, ironic given the fact that the International development; improvement of feeds; and John Beddington2. It was therefore surprising Steering Committee for the FAO conference the safety of foods. The meeting also crossed that only one European government thought had significant representation of technical different sectors, covering crops, livestock, it worthwhile to take advantage of the and policy expertise from Europe (including forestry, agro-industry, and fisheries and unique opportunity presented by the FAO signatories of this letter). aquaculture. conference to engage with several hundred For genetic modification (GM)-phobic Around 300 policy makers (government policy specialists and agricultural experts European policymakers, it should be representatives), scientists and from over 50 developing countries in a forum emphasized that one clear message from the representatives of intergovernmental and specifically targeted at developing approaches FAO conference was that modern agricultural international nongovernmental organizations and alliances to increase global food security. biotechnologies are about much more than came together at the meeting from 68 In contrast to the no-shows from EU . Indeed, although genetic different countries. The conference was member states, which collectively aspire modification technologies are constantly co-sponsored by the International Fund for under the Lisbon Agenda to become a being improved and are making important Agricultural Development and also involved knowledge-based bio-economy region, contributions to crop breeding, they are only the Consultative Group on International the United States sent a high-level official one component of the overall agricultural Agricultural Research, the Global Forum government delegation of >20 officials, biotechnology toolkit required for science on Agricultural Research, the International scientists and policymakers led by Roger and technology to strengthen food security in Centre for Genetic Engineering and Beachy, director of the US Department of developing countries. Other biotechnologies Biotechnology and the World Bank. Previous Agriculture National Institute of Food and that have already contributed greatly to FAO International Technical Conferences Agriculture and a senior member of US developing country crop, forestry, fisheries on related topics, such as genetic resources President Obama’s science team. It was clear and livestock improvement include advanced

nature biotechnology volume 28 number 6 JUNE 2010 551 correspondence

tissue culture, artificial insemination and European governments and policy makers 1AgroBio Institute, Sofia, . 2Department reproductive technologies, mutagenesis/ should realize that there is a broad range of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, 3 TILLING, marker-assisted selection and of agricultural biotechnologies (including, Ghent, . Division of Biological Sciences, micropropagation. Like GM, all of these but by no means restricted to, GM) that University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, UK. 4Agroscope Reckenholz Tänikon Research biotechnologies have also benefited from new can make a huge contribution to assisting Station ART, Zürich, Switzerland. 5Institute for advances in research over the past few decades. humanity tackle the immense task of feeding the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Plants, In addition to their vital contributions to itself sustainably in an era dominated by Julius Kühn Institute, Federal Research Centre breeding, biotechnologies are also playing the uncertainties of population growth, for Cultivated Plants, Quedlinburg, . key roles in improving the cultivation and climate change and rapidly escalating global 6Botany and Plant Science, National University management of crops, forestry, fisheries and demand for food, feed and energy. As our US of , Galway, Ireland. 7Department of livestock. For example, crop management is colleagues might say, European governments Agronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, . benefiting from new biotech-based strategies and their policy makers should “wake up and e-mail: [email protected] for pest and disease control (including smell the coffee.” 1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United diagnostics), as well as the increasing use of Nations (FAO). Agricultural biotechnologies in devel- biofertilizers as an alternative to expensive COMPETING FINANCIAL INTERESTS oping countries: options and opportunities in crops, The authors declare no competing financial interests. forestry, livestock, fisheries and agro-industry to face nonrenewable chemical inputs. the challenges of food insecurity and climate change 1 As stated in the conference report , there 1 2 (Abdc-10), Guadalajara, Mexico, 1–4 March 2010 Atanas Atanassov , Godelieve Gheysen , (FAO, Rome, Italy, 2010). future progress for global food security will Joachim Schiemann5, Charles Spillane6 & 2. Godfray, H.C. et al Science 327, 812–818 (2010). require the deployment of the whole range Roberto Tuberosa7 of both new and traditional biotechnologies, in combination with other less high-tech methods in the context of a more needs- driven rather than technology-led approach. Organizations representative of end-users, Split approvals and hot potatoes especially smallholders, should, where possible, participate in the process of crop, To the Editor: means that potatoes with low-amylose forestry, fisheries and livestock improvement. The letter by Gerhart Ryffel in the April appropriate for industrial uses will In the context of climate change and other issue1 outlines some of the public perception now be grown in Europe and offer economic environmental uncertainties that are likely to concerns surrounding the European benefits to local industry and farmers. increase both biotic and abiotic stresses, there Union’s (EU; Brussels) recent sanctioning All well and good. But the decision of may be many cases where broad adaptability of the cultivation of a genetically modified EU regulators to provide a split approval, and yield robustness, rather than high yields (GM) —the first for any GM plant which permits animal feed or industrial per se, should be the primary focus of crop in 12 years. But readers should be far more uses but not human consumption, is and animal improvement. It was also agreed concerned about the form likely to invite all sorts of that access to agricultural biotechnologies of approval granted by EU mischief. One only need should be improved, for example via authorities. Registration look no further than the

© 2010 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights Inc. America, Nature © 2010 North-South collaborations and private- of BASF’s (Ludwigshafen, debacle surrounding a public partnerships. Finally, the sometimes Germany) Amflora was similar decision by the US inconsistent and onerous regulatory burdens only for commercial Environmental Protection that policy makers have devised regarding production of starch for Agency (EPA) over a decade some biotechnologies (that is, GM) were felt industrial purposes, not ago on a recombinant to be a major impediment to any possibilities for food use. This ‘split DNA-modified corn for their dissemination and exploitation by approval’ is a disaster variety called StarLink that developing countries for the benefit of poorer waiting to happen. contains a bacterial protein, smallholder farmers. Amflora was created Cry9C, toxic to certain In one of the final sessions of the FAO because of a limitation lepidopteran insects2. conference, a European participant of conventional potato Because of unresolved confessed to being “ashamed” at the lack of varieties. Such potatoes dubious concerns about participation by European governments. contain starch granules made up of two possible allergenicity of the novel StarLink He was not alone. This was an opportunity glucose polymers: , a highly protein—which, similar to many known missed by EU member states and has branched molecule, and amylose, which allergens, takes slightly longer than most certainly raised questions in some developing has a linear arrangement. Although the proteins to be digested in a laboratory countries regarding the willingness of EU alignment of the linear amylose chains in simulation of digestion—the EPA approved member states to close the widening biotech potatoes may be useful in food preparation the variety only for animal but not human gap between rich and poor countries, (e.g., for setting sauces on cooling) and consumption. in a manner that could reduce poverty contributes to the consistency of potatoes Following StarLink’s commercialization, levels and strengthen food security in as a foodstuff, it is undesirable and must be an activist organization paid a laboratory developing countries. Rather than focusing removed in many industrial applications, to test a large selection of packaged food on inward-looking debates on issues such such as making the coating on glossy products made with corn (including corn as the intricacies of GM crop regulation, printing paper. The availability of Amflora chips, tortillas and taco shells) and found the

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