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Background and rationale of the study

The EU’s first GM crop. – its agronomic and economic performance. Background and rationale of the study Globally, genetically modified crops, or GM crops, are adopted on a large scale (102 million hectares in 2006).

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Background and rationale of the study

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  1. The EU’s first GM crop – its agronomic and economic performance • Background and rationale of the study • Globally, genetically modified crops, or GM crops, are adopted on a large scale (102 million hectares in 2006). • In the EU the cultivation of GM crops remains very low (0.06 million hectares in 2006). • The only GM crop authorised for cultivation in the EU is insect-resistant maize, or Bt maize (see Fig. 1). • Spain is the EU country with the biggest production area and the highest adoption rate of Bt maize (see Fig. 2). • Bt maize in Spain constitutes the first example of a GM crop being commercially cultivated in the EU. • It offered the opportunity to analyse the actual agronomic and economic performance of a GM crop in the EU. • Methodology and data used • Survey of Spanish maize farmers (n=402) covering three growing seasons (2002-2004) in three relevant regions. • In each region a province was selected where maize cultivation was important and adopters were present. • Results of the study • On average, adopters of Bt maize used less pesticides, had higher yields and higher economic gross margins compared to non-adopters (see Fig. 3 & 4). • Efficiency gains can be attributed to Bt maize: adopters and non-adopters did not differ in socio-economic characteristics. • Output and relevanceof the study • First-class scientific publication: Gómez-Barbero et al., Nature Biotechnology 26: 384-386, 2008. • Publication as an IPTS Technical Report (EUR 22778). • Requested by Commission DGs and Services and used for several briefings of EU Commissioners – being the only scientific study covering the actual performance of a GM crop in the EU. Fig. 1: Comparison between Bt maize (left) and conventional maize showing insect damage in the cob (right). Fig. 2: Adoption of GM maize in selected countries and regions (2005). Fig. 3: Yield difference of Bt maize over conventional maize (by region). Fig. 4: Insecticide treatments of maize fields per season. Contact Dr. A.J. Stein and Dr. E. Rodríguez-Cerezo European Commission • Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Tel. +34 95 448 8385 • Fax +34 95 448 8434 alexander.stein@ec.europa.eu

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