GM Crops Still a Tiny Part of World Agriculture
GM Freeze, 22nd February 2011

*GM crops occupy just 3% of global agricultural land according to industry data released today.

The Annual ISAAA report on the status of GM crops around the world show a total area of 148 million hectares  which represents just 3% of all the world's agricultural land. Seventy percent of the increase in 2010 is accounted for by expansion in three countries already committed to GM crops - USA, Brazil and  Argentina.

In five countries, the area under GM crops fell last year - China, Spain, Portugal, Romania and the Czech Republic. Spain's reduction of 10.9% in 2010 in GM cropping is part of an overall decline in EU of 23% in the last two years[1].

GM cropping is dominated by just two traits: herbicide tolerance and insect resistance or a combination of the two. Weed and pest resistance have emerged in countries where farmers have become reliant on GM seeds, such as the USA and Argentina.

Commenting Pete Riley of GM Freeze said: "These data are hardly earth shattering and show that the vast majority of the food grown to directly feed people is not GM. GM soya and maize are wastefully used to feed livestock and poultry in intensive units and for bio- ethanol and bio-diesel production.

Opposition to GM crops remains strong across the world and people and farmers are increasingly questioning why governments are allowing the seed industry to become dominated by a  handful of companies  that usem intellectual property laws to claim monopoly rights and to deny farmers and other plant breeders  full access the world's plant genetic resources for future plant breeding. Common sense says that this makes no senses in a world where millions are starving or undernourished".

Calls to Pete Riley 07903 341065

Notes
1. See http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/download/FoEE_Who_benefits_fact_sheet.pdf

Pete Riley
Campaign Director
GM Freeze
50 South Yokshire Buildings
Silkstone Common
Barnsley
S75 4RJ
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Tel 0845 217 8992 Mob 07903 341065
Website www.gmfreeze.org