www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

They go together like chalk and cheese. Like orange and green, they should
never be seen together. Genetically modified crops just can't be permitted
to contaminate conventional or organic ones, November 2006 by Charles Abel.

But judging by farmer experience in the Czech Republic, where 1290ha of GM
maize was grown commercially this year, there is no reason why co-existence
can't succeed.

Fast-moving Czech policymakers have ensured their country is the first in
the EU to enshrine co-existence rules in the law and to have suitable GM
varieties approved and grown commercially.

That should not come as a surprise, given that plant scientist Gregor
Mendel, founder of the gene revolution that underpins all modern plant
breeding, lived in the southern Czech city of Brno (pronounced Burr-no).

Just over 140 years later Czech farmers like Karel Klaska are reaping the
benefits of this latest gene revolution. He has 20ha of commercial
insect-tolerant GM maize this year on his 4150ha Bonagro farm outside Brno.

Mr Klaska was one of the 52 Czech farmers who grew 270ha of GM maize last
year, and is one of the 85 involved this year.

He is pleased with the way the crop is performing. Instead of struggling to
forecast pest attack and having insecticide applied by air to the 1.5m tall
crop, maybe twice, Mr Klaska's GM seed has produced pristine, undamaged
crops with no further input.

That brings two benefits. First, it protects yield, which he estimates to be
10% higher than conventional varieties. "Even with insecticide or biological
control yield can suffer. It is just so difficult to get treatments on at
the right time."

Grain quality is also better, the undamaged GM crops carrying almost no
mycotoxin-producing fusarium. "Mycotoxins are a real worry. They can depress
animal output and buyers monitor for them, too, to protect human health."

The net result is a 10% gross margin benefit, even after the ?25/ha price
premium charged for GM seed. That gross margin boost can be the difference
between profit and loss.

But without co-existence laws to protect him against the risk of GM
contamination claims from conventional or organic farming neighbours, Mr
Klaska and his fellow GM pioneers would have struggled.

"The co-existence laws save me from worrying about claims from neighbouring
farmers, but they also mean a lot of form filling, monitoring and extra farm
procedures to avoid GM cross-contamination, as well as labelling products
from animals that have been fed with GM maize," notes Mr Klaska.

[www.fwi.co.uk]

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