Ken Matthews AO Chairman, Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia

Transcription

1 Blue Sky Opportunities Global Game Changers in Agriculture Ken Matthews AO Chairman, Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia 21 October 2014 Canberra 1

2 Outline 1. About the ABCA 2. Why the opposition to agricultural biotechnology? 3. Why do we need it? 4. How big is agricultural biotech and how fast is it growing? 5. Who gets the benefits? 6. Current issues affecting the take up of biotechnology in Australia 7. What needs to be done? About the ABCA Four founding members AusBiotech, CropLife Australia, GRDC and NFF. Aims: to improve understanding of the potential benefits of agricultural biotechnology to ensure Australian farmers can access this technology for its commercial, food security, consumer and environmental benefits to provide reliable, factual, science based information about biotechnology in agriculture. 2

3 Three Truths 1. Biotechnology is a critical opportunity to lift productivity, profitability & sustainability of Australian agriculture over the next 20 years. 2. Biotechnology is a critical world requirement if rapidly rising global food needs are to be met. 3. Biotechnology will continue to attract suspicion and opposition from parts of the community which will slow its development Why the opposition? 1. Food safety worries 2. Environmental concerns 3. Concerns about agrochemicals industry domination 4. Ethical and religious issues 3

4 What does science say about safety? More than 100 of the world s independent science bodies, including the US National Academy of Sciences, the UK Royal Society, the World Health Organisation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Medical Association, and major science oversight groups in Europe, Australia and the developing world: GM crops are as safe as conventional varieties & often safer because of the extensive approval tests The scientific evidence is overwhelmingly. in favour of GM safety, assuming continuing sound regulation What does science say about the environment? A recent review of 1,783 scientific studies around the world: little or no evidence that GM crops have negative environmental impact. Positive Benefits Examples Sustainable use of pesticides Less spraying; more benign chemicals Reduced land use Environmental stress tolerance Reduced fuel and energy use Palm oil replacement, reduced land clearing Drought, salinity & acid soils tolerance Minimum till Reduced chemical fertiliser use Nitrogen use efficiency Feral animal and weed control Daughterless carp; weed management 4

5 Why do we need it? Because the problems it can solve and the opportunities it provides are unprecedented in history. Urgent and growing global food needs Solutions to environmental problems Human health and social benefits Australian farm productivity and profitability Australian agricultural international competitiveness the impact of creating self fertilizing plants could revolutionise agriculture and would significantly de couple agriculture from the oil industry. OECD

6 Global Food Needs World population 9.6 billion by 2050 (currently 7.2 billion) Rapidly increasing standards of living (larger & more diverse diets) Not much more land and water to develop Agriculture s pressures on the landscape and biodiversity are intensifying All while the climate is changing in ways we can t fully predict. And yet 800m people go to bed hungry each night One billion people are chronically undernourished Meanwhile Comfortable Western NGOs continue to oppose and slow biotechnology on non scientific grounds But in the developing world starvation, malnutrition and avoidable disease continue For example, 250m children are currently afflicted by Vitamin A deficiency (GM could, right now, save 2.7m children s lives pa) If the naysayers do stop agricultural GM they might actually precipitate the famines and crises they have been predicting for 40 years Norman Borlaug Father of the Green Revolution 6

7 GM Uptake: Some Global Dimensions 79 per cent of global soybean area is GM 70 percent of global cotton area is GM 32 percent of corn grown globally is GM 24 percent of the world s canola is GM 18 million farmers; 27 countries and the first GM crop was only released in In the USA sugar beet is now 98% GM only 3 years after release. Global trends USA: widespread and ready uptake of new GM crops and varieties Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Canada and other Australian agricultural competitors have rapid rates of GM uptake Even Europe the most GM conservative jurisdiction is considering relaxing restrictions (except in France and Austria) One eighth of global farm land is now GM 7

8 Innovation in the last 200 years Mechanisation Conventional plant breeding Chemical fertilisers Chemical herbicides but no technology in history has been as rapidly adopted as GM seeds Some Australian Dimensions of GM GM Cotton (Insect resistant and Herbicide tolerant). Now accounts for more than 99 per cent of all Australian cotton production. Has reduced pesticide use by 85 per cent From resulted in farm income benefits of USD$738.2 million for Australian cotton growers. GM Canola (Herbicide tolerant). From resulted in farm income benefits of USD$27.3 million for Australian canola growers Uptake has skyrocketed in the last two seasons, with 15 per cent of this year s canola crop predicted to be GM. Sales of GM canola seed rose by 59 per cent in NSW in 2014 now making up 9 per cent of the NSW canola crop (in WA GM is over 20 per cent of the canola crop). 8

9 So, what does GM potentially offer? Improved growth rates and yield Improved water use efficiency (drought tolerance) Pest resistance & pesticide reduction Crop and animal disease resistance Improved human nutritional value of foods Improved shelf life of crop and animal based products Improved nutrient efficiency (soil deficiency tolerance) Salt tolerance Nitrogen fixation in non legume crops Reduced greenhouse emissions from animals Faster, more accurate diagnostic tests (pests, diseases, growth problems) Attractive novel features for crop and animal products (e.g., colour, taste, texture) It s more than just Bt Cotton and RR Canola: Already available or in the pipeline (examples): Fire blight resistant apple; blight resistant potato Water efficient and rust resistant cereals Foods with fewer saturated fats, zero allergens, increased dietary fibre, increased omega 3 oils, more antioxidants, reduced natural toxins, higher protein levels In built vaccines, cholesterol management, Vitamin A supplementation in children Specialised animal based proteins produced from plants, algae or fungi Non browning apples Rapid growth salmon for aquaculture Nitrogen efficient barley Enhanced methane digestion in cattle Plastics from plants 9

10 Who gets the benefits of biotechnology? Yes, this is big business for biotechnology companies. Perversely, the regulatory costs as a consequence of pressure from GM opponents now make approvals out of reach for anyone but big firms Launch costs of a new GM trait can now reach US$139m (incl direct approval costs of ~US$35m It now takes a world average of 5.5 years to gain a new approval Is this squeezing out public good (e.g., environment or public health) or smallmarket GM innovations? Who gets the benefits of biotechnology? But benefits flow also to: Producers (reduced production costs, higher yields, more stable incomes, premium product prices) Consumers (improved products, reduced prices) Public benefits (e.g., environment, public health) 10

11 Australia s Strengths in GM A world class regulatory system (but is it commensurate with risks?) Research strengths, especially in plant sciences Growing experience among farmers & the processing chain A growing number of GM supporters alongside the GM opponent groups Risks and Problems Suspicion of science and scientists in public debate The effective anti GMO campaign by NGOs has influenced public opinion. As a result, environmentally responsible farmers, who tend to be the opinion leaders in other matters, are sometimes ambivalent about GM. The pro GM constituency among farmers is therefore not as strong as it would otherwise be. 11

12 Current issues affecting the take up of biotechnology in Australia Public, consumer, environmentalist & media attitudes Government gutlessness (total bans in SA, Tas, ACT; moratoriums in WA & NSW with certain exemptions) Impractical organic standards (tougher than the US and Europe) Pressures for unwarranted labelling & standards of segregation Scientifically unjustifiable international trade constraints Costly and time consuming regulatory approval processes Declining public sector research investment What needs to be done? a three part plan 1. Build the constituency of biotechnology supporters a. Build understanding of the potential benefits of biotech to farmers, consumers, the environment and society b. Build community confidence and trust in Australia s biotech regulatory arrangements c. Show respect for ethical concerns about biotechnology while giving voice also to potential beneficiaries d. Focus research more on benefits to consumers e. Focus research more on benefits to the environment and society f. Find champions for biotechnology and promote biotech success stories 12

13 What needs to be done? a three part plan 2. Build our national effort a. Maintain or increase biotech R&D expenditure b. Build collaboration with other leading biotech countries to stay in the game What needs to be done a three part plan? 3. Review Regulatory Arrangements a. End the state government moratoria & replace with standard biotech regulatory arrangements b. Avoid further mandatory labelling requirements c. Reconcile organic standards and GMOs d. Consider reliance on credible international approvals for some biotechnology innovations e. Tackle unjustifiable international trade restrictions 13

14 Australia needs a more objective and science based discussion of agricultural biotechnology and Australia urgently needs practising farmers to speak up for agricultural biotechnology. 14