A UN food agency is coming out in favor of biotech crops, saying genetically modified (GM) organisms have already helped small farmers financially and have had some environmental benefits without ill effects on health.
In a major report being released Monday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the main problems with agricultural biotechnology so far are that it hasn't spread fast enough to the world's poor farmers and has focused on crops that are mostly of use to big commercial interests.
Agricultural Biotechnology: Meeting the Needs of the Poor? is likely to fuel the debate about genetically modified or transgenic crops as the technology continues to face public opposition in European and African countries.
Proponents of GM foods say plants that can resist insects and be fortified with vitamins or other useful substances are a boon to farmers and consumers.
Opponents say the crops pose unknown health and environmental risks, and that those likely to benefit most from them are the multinational corporations who develop and sell GM seeds.
The UN's policy had been that it recognized the potential of transgenic crops to help fight hunger but that case-by-case studies were needed to assess their risks.
The report said transgenic crops currently on the market are safe to eat and have posed no negative health effects. It said scientists differ on their environmental impact, noting that genes from GM crops can be transferred to wild species. The report said scientists differ on whether this is a bad thing, as more research is needed to assess the consequences of this so-called ``gene flow.''
The report also noted some environmental and health benefits from using transgenic crops. It said transgenic crops' reduced need for toxic herbicides and pesticides has had ``demonstrable health benefits'' for Chinese farm workers. In addition, it said some GM crops, especially insect-resistant cotton, ``are yielding significant economic gains to small farmers.''
The report said that while private companies have been largely responsible for selling transgenic seeds, ``it is the producers and consumers who are reaping the largest share of the economic benefits of transgenic crops.''
``This suggests that the mono-poly position engendered by intellectual property protection does not automatically lead to excessive industry profits,'' it said.
However, the UN agency said the private sector was focusing too much on technology for crops that benefit big commercial interests, such as corn, soybeans, canola and cotton. Basic food crops for the poor such as cassava, potatoes, rice and wheat have received little attention from scientists.
In fact, FAO said that 99 percent of the world's land planted with transgenic crops in 2003 was in just six countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, South Africa and the United States.
In addition, it said, there are only four main transgenic crops -- corn, soybeans, canola and cotton -- and they are engineered for only two traits, insect resistance and herbicide tolerance.
Doreen Stabinsky, a Greenpeace science adviser, said Sunday that while she hadn't read the report, it appeared to be a political statement by FAO and another attempt by the biotech industry ``to convince Europe that they ought to be eating the GM food that's being developed by American companies.''
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