A secret EU study leaked to Greenpeace states that all farmers
would face high additional, in some cases unsustainable costs of
production if genetically engineered (GE) crops were commercially
grown in a large scale in Europe. The study predicts that the
situation would become particularly critical for organic farming of
oilseed rape as well as for intensive production of conventional
maize.
The EU Commission ordered the study on the co-existence of GE
and non-GE crops in May 2000 from the Institute for Prospective
Technological Studies, of the EU Joint Research Centre. The study
was delivered to the EU Commission in January 2002 with the
recommendation that it not be made public. (1)
"The European Commission has tried to keep this study secret",
said Lorenzo Consoli, Greenpeace EU policy advisor, "because it was
afraid of its political implications. The question is, if the
introduction of GE crops on a commercial scale in Europe increases
costs of production for all farmers, makes them more dependent on
the big seed companies, and require complicated and costly measures
to avoid contamination, why should we accept GE cultivation in the
first place?" The EU study states that in oilseed rape production
the co-existence of GE and non-GE crops in a same region, even when
"technically possible", would be "economically difficult" because
of the additional costs and complexity of changes required in
farming practices in order to avoid genetic contamination. Both
organic and conventional farmers "would probably be forced to stop
saving seed and instead buy certified seed", because of the
increased risk of GE impurity for seeds that have been exposed to
field contamination. The study predicts that smaller farms would
face relatively higher costs compared to larger entities, and that
cultivation of GE and non-GE crops in the same farm "might be an
unrealistic scenario, even for larger farms".
The main specific findings of the report were:
· Commercialisation of GE oilseed rape and maize and to a lesser
extent potatoes will increase costs of farming for conventional and
organic farmers at a range between 10 and 41 per cent of farm
prices for oilseed rape and between one and nine percent for maize
and potatoes.
· Coexistence of GE farming and organic farming would be
actually impossible in many cases.
· Generally, coexistence would only be possible with massive
changes in farming practices, especially for conventional farmers;
it would also require co-operation between farmers in a region and
the willingness of all farmers concerned to participate in such
co-operation; it is not clear who would implement these changes,
who would be responsible for controlling their correct
implementation, who would shoulder their costs.
· Seed and crop purity from GE at a detection level of 0.1
percent would be virtually impossible in most cases, i.e. all
products and seeds of oilseed rape and maize would be contaminated
with GE to a certain extent.
The study, based on a combination of computer modelling and
expert opinion, analysed the consequences of an increase in the
share of GE crops. It focused on the three crops of which GE
varieties are currently available: oilseed rape for seed
production, maize for feed production and potatoes for consumption.
The study covered several farm types, both organic and conventional
farming. It also considered three different threshold levels for
genetic contamination: 0.1 percent (analytical detection level) for
all the three crops, 0.3 percent for oilseed rape and 1 percent for
maize and potatoes.
Notes: (1) In a letter to the Comission accompanying the study, the Director General of the EU Joint Research Centre, Barry McSweeney, suggests that "(…) given the sensitivity of the issue, I would suggest that the report be kept for internal use within the Commission only."