Genetic modification technology has officially come of age, but it still looks like a case of arrested adolescence in Europe, according to a leading researcher.
The first successful gene transfer to a whole plant emerged in 1983, Professor Simon Bright, director of Warwick HRI, reminded members of the HRI Association at a genetic modification seminar on November 18.
In global terms, agribusinesses spent $250 billion on crop protection chemicals, $15bn on conventional seeds and $3bn on GM seeds in 2002, with the latter category growing at 15 per cent a year.
But due to the EU regulatory framework, the UK and rest of Europe are stuck in a “frantic pause” with great activity but little to show for it, Bright said. There had been “a frenzy of activity” earlier this year, but this had cooled off.
“The trouble has been that you cannot have public discussions about a technology, but you can about the resulting products and about sustainability,” he said.
“For example, in fruit and vegetables, you can show the benefits to the consumer in terms of quality, shelf life, flavour, texture, aroma and nutrition as well as production advantages.”
He cited improved-flavour tomatoes for paste production prior to the European moratorium and Stayripe GM bananas in the US which remain edible for up to five days longer than conventional fruit.
Bright claimed that consumer resistance to GM technology is beginning to wane in the wake of labelling-rule changes and increased imports of branded goods containing modified ingredients, such as soya.
Supermarkets are not altruistic, he said. If they found a demand for these products they would start producing own-label versions.
The next step is to get the commercial sector fully involved.
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