THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Where GM Crops and Foods are in the World
A new report with the title "Where in the World are GM Crops and Foods?” by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) describes what GM crops are grown in Canada and around the world, where and how much, and where they end up in our food system.
The report cites that out of the 56 GM crops which were field tested around the world between 1986 and 1995, only 9 crops are grown commercially today. GM soy (50%), corn (30%) cotton (14%) and canola (5%) comprise 99% of global GM acreage (181 million ha) while two traits; herbicide tolerance (57%) and insect resistance (15%), with 28% stacked with both traits, account for almost all of GM crops on the market.
Since 2010, only 10 countries have accounted for 98% of the land area under GM cultivation, with the US, Argentina and Brazil making up over 75%, an indication of dropping adoption rates. GM crops are grown on approximately 3.7% of the world’s total agricultural land by less than 1% of the world’s farmers.
This report is the first in a series as part of CBAN’s GMO Inquiry 2015, which examines the environmental, economic and health impacts of GMOs after 20 years in Canada where 80% and 60% of the corn and soy consumed, respectively, are genetically modified. It aims at answering Canadians’ questions about GMOs, which would be relevant for consumers all over the world.
The report is available at: http://gmoinquiry.ca/where/ and the summary is reproduced below.
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WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE GM CROPS AND FOODS?
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
http://gmoinquiry.ca/where/
Summary
In this first report of GMO Inquiry 2015, we investigate what GM crops are grown in Canada and around the world, where they are being grown, how much of each one is being grown, and where they end up in our food system. Industry promotional materials commonly depict genetically modified (GM) crops being grown widely around the world, but this is not entirely true. In reality, there are primarily four GM crops – corn, soy, cotton and canola – being grown anywhere in the world. Together, these four crops account for 99% of global GM acres.
Almost 100% of GM crops on the market are genetically engineered with either one or both of just two GM traits: herbicide tolerance, and insect resistance. These two traits account for almost all of the GM crops grown commercially over the past 20 years.
Just ten countries account for almost all – 98% of – the GM hectares around the world. The top three countries that cultivate GM crops – the US, Argentina and Brazil – account for over three quarters of global GM hectares. GM crops are grown on approximately 3.7% of the world’s total agricultural land, by less than one percent of the world’s farmers.
There are four GM crops grown in Canada: canola, corn, soy and sugar beet. Almost all of the canola (approx. 95%) and sugar beet (almost 100%), a large proportion of the grain corn (over 80%), and approximately two thirds (at least 60%) of the soybeans grown in Canada are GM. There is a very small, unknown quantity of GM sweet corn grown in Canada. GM foods are also imported from our major trading partners, notably the US.
The Canadian government does not monitor where all GM crops are grown in Canada, and has not established mandatory labelling of GM foods. The numbers in this report on GM crop cultivation in Canada are gathered from a number of sources, including commodity and industry groups, and international organizations.
The government regulates and lists approved GM foods within a wider category of “novel foods,” which includes GM and non-GM foods, and does not specify which are on the market. Without mandatory labelling, this often leads to confusion about which GM foods are in our grocery stores. For instance, GM tomatoes, GM rice and GM wheat are not on the market anywhere in the world.
This report outlines the current reality of GM crops in the ground, and GM foods on our plates. This information provides a foundation from which we can assess the economic reality of GMOs, examine the successes and failures of the technology after 20 years, and investigate their impacts and risks.