GM crops benefit small farmers in Spain - commercially
grown Bt maize poses no problem to food and feed chain
Brussels,
27th September 2002
– In
a new study[1]
presented in Brussels today, Brookes West consultancy reports that small
farmers in North East Spain are achieving environmental benefits as well
as higher yields, better quality and increased income by growing
genetically modified maize (Bt Maize). Bt Maize protects the crop against
attack by the European Corn Borer (ECB), which can lead to yield losses of
15% or more.
Spanish
farmers as well as other Southern European farmers have suffered from the
ECB for generations. But currently Spain is the only country in the
European Union where GM crops are grown commercially and is therefore the
best European example of the benefits Bt Maize offers.
Most
Spanish farmers do not use any active form of treatment for dealing with
the pest. This is mainly because the larval damage is hidden, heavy
infestations are unpredictable, checking the fields multiple times each
summer takes time and skill, the difficulty of timing spraying and the
perceived high costs of the treatment. Genetically modified insect
resistant maize provides a new management tool for all corn producers to
increase yields where ECB is a problem.
The
average farm size in North East Spain is just 50 hectares, with maize only
being grown on part of the area. On average, these small scale farmers
received an increased income of €150 (per hectare) compared with growing
conventional maize. Their enthusiastic uptake of the GM maize confirms
that the benefits of this technology are not limited to large farmlands,
in fact delivering pest control can benefit all scales of farming.
Graham
Brookes, author of the report, said “Many people don’t realise that GM
crops are being successfully grown in the EU. In this North Eastern region
of Spain, over 20,000 hectares of Bt maize has been grown every year since
1998”. This represents over 4% of the total Spanish maize crop, and it
is estimated that this would rise to 36% if the Bt trait would be freely
available in all major maize varieties.
DOWNLOAD
THE FULL REPORT (250k IN PDF)
For
further information:
|
Graham
Brookes
Brookes
West consultancy
Tel:
+44 1303 840958
email:
graham.brookes@btinternet.com
|
Adeline
Farrelly
EuropaBio
Communications Manager
Tel:
+32 2 739 1174 (Direct)
Mobile:
+32 475 93 17 24
e-mail:
a.farrelly@europabio.org
website:
http://www.europabio.org
|
EuropaBio
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