Spain , the only country in the EU in
which genetically modified crops are grown
for commercial purposes, has been
cultivating GM crops for six years. Since
1998, an estimated 25,000 hectares have
been planted each year with a genetically
modified variety of corn (Bt176) sold by
the Swiss biotech company Syngenta. The
corn has been engineered to resist the
European corn borer, a potentially harmful
insect for maize.
The cultivation of GM corn varieties in
Spain is taking place with a total lack of
information. No official data is available
on the locations or exact acreage planted
with GM crops, nor has there been an
independent analysis of GM crop results or
of their possible negative impacts for the
environment or agriculture in general.
Furthermore, the introduction of GM crops
has happened in an atmosphere of secrecy,
suspicion and fear in rural areas, where
farmers and cooperatives afraid of losing
markets or jobs refrain from speaking
openly.
The few independent studies available
show that pests can survive on Bt corn, and
this means that they may become resistant
to it. This casts doubts on the pest
control efficiency of GM crops in the
medium term, and endangers one of the
natural pesticides used in organic farming.
The impacts of GM corn on non-target
species and soil ecosystems also remain
unknown. The same goes for the effects of
antibiotic resistance genes on animals and
humans, simply because no independent
monitoring has been carried out on these
issues. ten years later: broken promises
and unsustainable agriculture
quiet contamination
Two cases of genetic contamination were
announced in 2001, and they probably
represent only the tip of the iceberg.
Without any measures in place to prevent
genetic contamination and with no
possibility for non-GM farmers to know
where GM fields are located, it is to be
expected that genetically modified material
is flowing from GM to non- GM crops.
However, the lack of monitoring, and the
climate of fear that stifles the
acknowledgement of genetic pollution by
farmers, result in an unknown extent of
contamination.
It has not been proven that the GM
varieties cultivated in Spain give better
results than conventional crops, nor that
they are necessary, nor that they are
useful for pest control. Studies have shown
that yields for the GM crops are
substantially lower than yields for
comparable conventional varieties. For
example, one study reported that the GM
corn had a 25 percent smaller yield than
the top yielding variety in 1999.
Furthermore, according to the Spanish
government's working group on pesticides,
corn borer incidence in Spain is “low” and
“does not justify the use of these GM
varieties”.
The most worrying aspects of the
introduction of GM corn in Spain are the
social consequences. Although never
addressed as a real issue, these include
economic damage due to contamination by
GMOs, liability problems for farmers,
farmers' increasing dependence on big
companies, and loss of the consumer's and
farmer's right to choose. Six years of GM
crops in Spain shows that the introduction
of these new agricultural varieties has not
contributed to the construction of a
sustainable agricultural model. The lack of
impressive agricultural results and the
negative consequences (like genetic
contamination and pest resistance) show
that GM cultivation should stop, since it
is neither economically nor environmentally
sustainable. In addition, it is clear that
GM crops are creating new problems for
farmers, for specific business sectors and
for consumers.
more information:
Friends of the Earth Spain
:
www.tierra.org/transgenicos/pdf/Algranoingle
s03-08.pdf
