A STUDY of nine biotech crops shows their widespread adoption throughout Europe would increase yields by 8.5 billion kilograms per year, increase grower net income by 1.6 billion Euro per year and reduce pesticide use by 14.4 million kilograms per year, compared with existing practices that would be replaced.

The crops studied were maize, oilseed rape, wheat, rice, tomatoes, potatoes, sugarbeets and stone fruit. The research was conducted by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, which received funds from Monsanto, Syngenta, EuropaBio and BIO for the study. The NCFAP is based in the US where it had previously conducted similar research.

The research concluded that biotech tomato offers the greatest yield and grower income increase while herbicide tolerant maize would result in the largest pesticide use reduction.

The report is said to be the first comprehensive study of how biotechnology could impact European agriculture.

In Europe at present, only Spain has any commercial biotech acres. The European Union and European countries are considering a variety of biotechnology regulations while a moratorium on approval of new biotech crops maintains the status quo.

Questions remain about the potential impacts on agricultural production if biotech crops were to be commercialized in Europe. Although a number of researchers have released studies of the potential impact of certain biotech crops in individual countries, no single study has used a consistent methodology to estimate multi-crop biotech adoption in multiple European countries

For each case study, NCFAP reviewed scientific literature, internet web sites and data from university and government research facilities. NCFAP interviewed European researchers who are testing biotech varieties, and they provided summaries of their research. NCFAP quantified the current use of pesticides, crop losses and costs of managing each pest problem in several countries by crop. Researchers estimated the acreage on which the biotech crop would be planted based on comparison of growers' costs.

Economic impacts were analyzed in three categories: estimated changes in yield, changes in production value and changes in production costs, which were used to calculate changes in net income. Pesticide use changes were also calculated. Written case study analyses were sent to outside reviewers for comment. The reviewers' comments were incorporated into the case study reports.

More information can be found at the website of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council's website www.abcinformation.org.

Updated: 09:55 Monday, December 22, 2003