Low commodity prices and EU consumer resistance have put a brake on GM expansion
The global area of genetically modified (GM) crops fell last year for the first time since the technology was first adopted two decades ago.
The main cause of the decline was low commodity prices, which meant farmers planted less maize, soybeans and oilseed rape, whether GM or conventional, according to a report in Horticulture Week.
Data from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) showed that three countries, the United States, Brazil and Argentina, accounted for more than three-quarters of the total global GM area, while four crops — maize, soy, oilseed rape and cotton — accounted for the majority of GM crops. Cultivation in the EU, where official opposition remained strong, fell by 18 percent to around 140,000ha, almost all pest-resistant maize in Spain.
In 2014, GM seeds accounted for just over a third of the global commercial seed market by value.
Published Thursday 21 April 2016
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