Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 11630 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta a larger role in policymaking at regional, state or even European levels.” Wang notes, however, that GM crop approval timelines and the number of GM approvals in the EU ranks third world- wide, with only the U.S. and Japan ahead. China, the U.S. and the Future The Economist reported earlier this year that 20 years ago, China was doing a huge amount of GM crop testing, but since then, it has grown much more conservative due to consumer concerns over both food safety and reliance on foreign GM crop technology. The GM crop approval process in China, Everson notes, is currently similar to the EU’s, in that it’s lengthier and less predictable than it could be. However, there have been two indications this year of growing Chinese interest in GM crops. In the country’s annual statement on agriculture released in January, the Chinese government stated it will “carefully promote” them, and in April, an agricul- ture ministry official announced China will move forward with commercial cultivation of GM maize over the next few years. Bruce Jowett sees these developments as signs the Chinese government is realizing its population both needs and wants higher-quality food, which must either be grown within the country or imported. “At the Canola Council of Canada, we continue to help Chinese consumers understand the benefits of Canadian canola and our production systems,” explains Jowett, the Council’s vice president of market development. “We talk with media and do presentations. We are cautiously optimistic about the Chinese increasing their understanding of GM technology. It’s positive that consumers there, like consumers elsewhere, increasing want to know more about their food and how it’s produced.” To Jowett, building trust in biotech crops in China and other similar markets starts with educating consumers about the benefits. “Consumers need better information about the benefits of biotech crops in terms of sustainability and the crops’ ability to feed China’s population,” he says. “There is room for increased understanding about how these technologies provide a consistent and high-quality food supply.” In the U.S., after years of wrangling and heated debate, the Senate and Congress both approved legislation in July requiring food manufacturers, in years to come, to begin using one of three labels to inform consumers of the presence of GMOs. The details are being worked out. Jowett isn’t sure whether this development will affect the import of Canadian GM crops. “There are many unanswered questions,” he says. “For example, canola oil doesn’t contain genetic material, so will they define it as GM or not GM? And most importantly, if labelling does negatively affect consump- tion or importation of biotech crops and food products, where will the U.S. source replacement food?” Everson agrees many unanswered questions remain, includ- ing what form the labels will take and where they will be required to be placed on food products. In conclusion, Jowett notes although naysayers of GM food have gained ground in the global arena of public opinion in recent years, he believes the results of recent new studies, as well as meta-analysis of hundreds of studies, continue to show GM crops to be safe for humans and the environment. “We still have naysayers,” he says, “but the science has really pushed forward and re-established its strong voice.” Treena Hein Bruce Jowett Jim Everson JusttheFacts •Over1996to2015,acumulative hectarageoftwobillionhectaresof biotechcropswascultivatedglobally (equivalenttotwicethetotalland massoftheU.S.)inupto28countries. •Theannualglobalhectarageof biotechcropssofarpeakedat181.5 millionin2014. •Forthefourthconsecutiveyear, developingcountriesplantedmore biotechcrops. •Ofthe28countriesplantingbiotech cropsin2015,20weredeveloping countries. •Amongdevelopingcountriesin 2015,LatinAmericahadthelargest hectarageofbiotechcrops,ledby BrazilandfollowedbyArgentina. •In2015,LatinAmerican,Asianand Africanfarmerscollectivelygrew54 percentoftheglobal179.7million biotechhectares. •Stackedtraitsoccupiedabout33 percentoftheglobal179.7million hectaresin2015. •Vietnamplantedastackedbiotech Bt/HTmaizeasitsfirstbiotechcrop in2015. •Acreageofthefirstbiotechdrought- tolerantmaizeplantedintheU.S. (DroughtGard,firstplantedin2013) increased15-foldfrom50,000 hectaresin2013to810,000hectares in2015. •Aglobalmeta-analysisof147studies forthelast20yearsreportedthat“on average,GMtechnologyadoptionhas reducedchemicalpesticideuseby37 percent,increasedcropyieldsby22 percent,andincreasedfarmerprofits by68percent.”