Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, said, “The ISAAA report confirms the importance of Australian farmers being able to choose innovative, safe and approved technologies to remain globally competitive, meet the requirements of increased food demand and farm sustainably in a changing and challenging climate.
“Modern farming using biotechnology innovation plays an increasingly crucial role in food, feed and fibre production in Australia and around the world. This report highlights the need to ensure non-science based and unnecessary costly regulation doesn’t hold Australia back from reaping the benefits and being a world leader in agricultural innovation.”
The ISAAA report marks twenty-three years of successful commercial GM crop cultivation. In 2018, 191.7 million hectares of GM crops were grown globally. 70 countries now utilise biotech crops. 26 nations, including 21 developing and five industrial countries, grow GM crops with an additional 44 non-planting countries formally regulating the importation and use of biotech crops for food, feed and processing.
Mr Cossey concluded, “Since 1996 GM crops have improved the sustainable use of pesticides and conserved biodiversity by saving more than 183 million hectares of land from agricultural production. They have alleviated poverty for 17 million small farmers and their families and reduced CO2 emissions from agriculture by 27.1 billion kg – that’s equivalent to removing 16.7 million cars from the road for one year.
“When farmers are given access and the opportunity of growing GM crops, they can grow more on less land, increase crop yields, contribute to international competitiveness and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact. Evidence has shown that given the choice, farmers increasingly choose to grow GM crops despite the remnants of extreme and vocal anti-science activist campaigns.”
Access the ISAAA Report here: isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/54/default.asp
Access the report’s infographics here: isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/54/infographic/default.asp
