Julian Little

GM technology and its

Potential for Fresh Produce

Julian Little Bayer CropScience

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Can I convince you that we need to produce

more food using less natural resources?

2. Can I convince you that GM is alive and

kicking elsewhere in the world?

3. Can I convince you that fresh produce and

GM is compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in

the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Food Supply: A worldwide sustainability

challenge

World population

Arable land

per capita

1950 5th January 2012 2050

2,500,000,000 7,015,135,579 9,200,000,000

0.52 ha 0.2387 ha 0.16 ha

Source: United Nations

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Climate change

“Anyone noticed that last year, this year and next

year was the coldest, hottest, driest, wettest,

sunniest, cloudiest year on record” – Jack Bobo, Senior Advisor

to Hillary Clinton – September 2010

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Foresight Report – January 2011

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Foresight Report Conclusions

• Agricultural productivity has to increase

• We have to reduce our inputs of water, fuel

and fertilisers

We have to access all methods of

farming that will help us to achieve

these twin goals

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce

more food using less natural resources?

2. Can I convince you that GM is alive and kicking elsewhere

in the world?

3. Can I convince you that fresh produce and GM is

compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Can I convince you that GM is alive and

kicking elsewhere in the world?

3. Can I convince you that fresh produce and GM is

compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

15 years of Commercial Experience

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Global Planting 2010... 148 million hectares

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Around the World

www.isaaa.org - 2011

New countries

growing GM

for the first

time in 2010

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

0

20

40

60

80

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

Soybean

Maize

Cotton

Oilseed Rape

GM Crops - What Crops ?

Source: www.ISAAA.org 2011

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Did I convince you that GM is alive and

kicking elsewhere in the world?

3. Can I convince you that fresh produce and GM is

compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Did I convince you that GM is alive and kicking elsewhere in

the world?

3. Can I convince you that fresh produce and

GM is compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

But what about Fresh Produce?

The tomato has been a symbol for

genetically modified food for many years.

1980s GM tomato avoided need for artificial

ripening

1994, FlavrSavr tomatoes hit the market in

the US and UK

Late1990s some EU member states block

regulatory approval

2002 GM tomatoes gradually disappear.

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

But what about Fresh Produce?

1970s Rapid spread of ringspot virus in

papaya in Hawaii leads to almost cessation

of the industry

1980s Research into “vaccine” by adding

virus genes into the papaya

1999 First virus-resistant papaya

commercialised

2010 Around 75% of the Hawaiian crop is a

GM variety

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

China – already growing a number of GM

crops including fresh produce

GM Crop Commercial Activity

Cotton

Tobacco

Tomato

Sweet Pepper

Papaya

Poplar Trees

Flowers

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

China – GM fresh produce on the

way

GM Crop Field Testing Pre-Production

Trials

Chilli

Potato

Cabbage

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

India – a lot of fresh produce activity

Crop Trait Contained

Field Trials

Field

Trials

Commercial

Activity

Cotton Insect

Resistance

Brinjal

(Eggplant) Insect

Resistance ”Not yet”

Cabbage Insect

Resistance 2011

Cauliflower Insect

Resistance 2011

Mustard Increased Yield

Rice Insect

Resistance

Maize Insect

Resistance

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Field Trial Applications – in the US

Corn , 394

Soybean , 182

Wheat , 6 Tomato , 18

Alfalfa , 22

Trees (various), 25

Grasses (various), 12 Flowers (various), 17

Arabidopsis, 2

Barley , 3

Cassava , 5 Tobacco , 21

Sweet potato , 1

Sugarbeet , 7

Sugarcane , 5

Onion , 1 Grape , 3 Cowpea , 1Oilseed Rape, 28

Papaya , 1

Peanut , 2

Potato , 20

Rice , 10

Sorghum , 3

Cotton , 51

Includes

• Tomato

• Sweet potato

• Potato

• Papaya

• Onions

• Grapes

2009 Applications

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

EU Field Trial Applications 2010-2011

http://gmoinfo.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Includes

• Apples

• Plums

• Peas

• Potato

• Grapes

Includes

• Nematode

Resistance

• Disease

Resistance

• Heat Stress

• Better

rootstock

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Did I convince you that GM is alive and kicking elsewhere in

the world?

3. Did I convince you that fresh produce and

GM is compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Did I convince you that GM is alive and kicking elsewhere in

the world?

3. Did I convince you that fresh produce and GM is

compatible?

4. Can I convince you that GM could happen in

the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Indian Research – Long Life

Tomatoes

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

JPL – Fresh Produce Consortium – York – 8th June 2010

Daily Mirror – Feb 2010

GM technology and its Potential for Fresh

Produce

1. Did I convince you that we need to produce more food

using less natural resources?

2. Did I convince you that GM is alive and kicking elsewhere in

the world?

3. Did I convince you that fresh produce and GM is

compatible?

4. Did I convince you that GM could happen in

the UK?

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

JPL – Fresh Inspirations – January 2012

Thank you

julian.little@bayer.com

26th January, 2012,

Huntingdon Marriott Hotel