Farmers’ Perceptions of Biopharming: Insights from a Tobacco Biopharming Survey

1. Farmers’ Perceptions of Biopharming: Insights from a Tobacco Biopharming Survey GentiKostandini Michelle Hayes

2. Biopharming • Third generation of GM crops • Biopharming is the cultivation of crops for pharmaceutical purposes • Plants can “manufacture” therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines (therapeutics) • Some therapeutics include: cancer, HIV, diabetes, Alzheimer's, hepatitis B, malaria, cystic fibrosis, and cholera

3. Importance • Significantly cheaper than current production of abiotic fermentation (E. Coli or yeast) or mammalian cell cultures (Chinese hamster ovary cells) • More stable supply and increase consumer access • Reduces the chance of contamination from human or animal viruses • Possibility to develop new therapeutics

4. Concerns • Can biopharmed crops be fully segregated? • Are there long term health effects? • How toxic are biopharmed crops to wildlife? • How long do compounds stay in the soil?

5. Background • Dow AgroSciences- poultry vaccine from tobacco cells (U.S., 2006) • Planet Biotechnology- CaroRx , dental cavity treatment, from tobacco (E.U., 2006) • Hepatitis B antibody (Cuba, 2006) • Protalix/ Pfzier- Eleyso, Gauncher’s disease treatment, from carrot cells (U.S. & Israel, 2012)

6. Study • Provide insights on producers knowledge of biopharming • Find out who is willing to participate and under what conditions • July 2012- telephone survey of 1,129 tobacco producers with a 14% response rate • 145 participants from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia

7. Data • Primary data • Concerns about biopharming • Willingness to grow pharmaceutical tobacco under certain conditions regarding production methods and net return per acre • Knowledge of biopharming prior to the survey • Characteristics such as gender, age and income

8. Data cont.

9. Data cont.

10. Willingness to GrowProduction • (a) Would you be willing to grow tobacco using current equipment and production methods for a pharmaceutical company if your net return per acre was [5%, 10%, 25%, 40%, 50% or more] more than growing conventional tobacco? • (b) If required to change current production methods would you be willing to grow transgenic tobacco for a pharmaceutical company if your net return per acre was [5%, 10%, 25%, 40%, 50% or more] more than growing conventional tobacco? • (c) If required to purchase additional equipment and change production methods would you be willing to grow transgenic tobacco for a pharmaceutical company if your net return per acre was [5%, 10%, 25%, 40%, 50% or more] more than growing conventional tobacco?

11. Results

12. Table 5. Willingness to grow under different production scenarios

13. Willingness to growRegulations • 1320 ft. fallow zone from other fields • 1 year restriction to grow non-pharmaceutical crops after they have planted biopharming crops • Several annual inspections from regulatory agencies

14. Table 6. Regulations and adoption

15. Conclusions • Tobacco producers are willing to participate when economic incentives exist • Not much concern despite unfamiliarity with biopharming • Low awareness implies more information needs to be provided for producers • Producers’ opinions may help shape regulations

16. Thank YOU