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

Global acceptance of biotech crops increased in 2006, with global biotech
crop acreage reaching 252 million acres in 22 countries according to the
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA). January 2007.

Global biotech crop acreage increased more than 13 percent from 2005, when
222 million acres of biotech crops were grown in 21 countries. A recent
study by PG Economics found that biotech crops have cumulatively increased
farm income by $27 billion over the last decade.

?Since their introduction more than a decade ago, the acceptance of biotech
crops continues to grow,? said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). ?This is evident in the rising
number of acres of biotech crops planted each year ? and the increasing
number of farmers who have chosen this technology because of the tremendous
value biotech crops deliver to an abundant, healthful, and affordable food
supply. A record 10.3 million farmers are growing biotech crops in 22
countries ? that?s a 21 percent increase in the number of farmers who have
adopted this technology since 2005.?

Notably, the developing world continues to adopt biotech crops aggressively.
ISAAA reports that more than 9.3 million small, resource-poor farmers in 11
countries grew biotech crops in 2006, a 9.4 percent increase from 2005. As
former President Bill Clinton observed in a keynote speech at the BIO 2006
International Convention, agricultural biotechnology for ?poor farmers in
developing countries is a good thing.? Agricultural biotechnology enables
?more people to be able to grow their own food and feed themselves.?

This past year also showed record domestic acceptance of biotech crops
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with biotech crop acreage in the
United States increasing in 2006 by 9.6 percent over 2005. In 2006, U.S.
acreage of biotech soybean increased by more than 6 percent, to a total of
66.68 million acres, or 89 percent of all soybeans grown in this country.
American farmers planted 12.68 million acres of biotech cotton in 2006,
representing 83 percent of all cotton grown in the United States (an
increase from 11.25 million acres planted in 2005). Plantings of biotech
corn in the United States significantly increased in 2006 by nearly 14
percent to 48.4 million acres.

The continued acceptance of biotech crops demonstrates the benefits American
farmers recognize from choosing biotechnology. A May 2006 report from the
University of Arizona found that Bt cotton reduces the level of pesticide
applications while increasing overall crop yields. For the third consecutive
year, studies by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
(NCFAP) showed the benefits of growing biotech crops. NCFAP concluded that
in 2005, biotech crops improved crop production by 8.3 billion pounds,
reduced production costs by $1.4 billion, and increased farmer revenue by
$2.0 billion. Additionally, American growers reduced pesticide applications
by 69.7 million pounds by planting biotech crops.

2006 also saw the introduction of key regulatory guidelines for plant and
animal biotechnology, both in the United States and internationally. Both
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) published guidelines concerning adventitious presence as a way
to ensure food safety for consumers, farmers, food processors, and grain
handlers. Adventitious presence (AP) is the unintentional and incidental
commingling of trace amounts of one type of seed, grain, or food product
with another. The United States? science-based policies on adventitious
presence helped provide a model for the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the
international food standards body. In November, Codex agreed to develop an
internationally accepted food safety risk assessment for adventitious
presence.

The publication of FDA?s draft risk assessment on animal cloning stood as a
significant domestic regulatory milestone for animal biotechnology. The
draft risk assessment found that milk and meat products from animal clones
and their offspring are safe for human consumption. As a new assisted
reproductive technology, cloning can consistently produce healthier animals
and a healthful meat and milk supply. FDA?s draft risk assessment is
consistent with numerous scientific studies, including two reports by the
National Academy of Sciences, that have found the food from animal clones
and their offspring to be safe. Globally, animal cloning may provide people
in developing countries with greater access to protein-rich animal food
products, which will increase community health and well-being.

Increasing global acceptance of agricultural biotechnology

In 2006, according to the ISAAA report, a record 22 countries planted
biotech crops including six countries in the European Union. As acreage in
the European Union continues to increase, there has also been continued
recognition of the safety of biotech plants. In 2006, the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) found biotech potatoes and a variety of biotech corn
to be safe for human consumption and the environment.

Last year, the European Commission approved the first pharmaceutical product
manufactured with ingredients derived from biotech goats. The drug?s
ingredients include proteins from the milk of biotech goats. The
pharmaceutical treats the rare blood-clotting disorder antithrombin
deficiency. The product is expected to enter the marketplace in 2007.

In addition to the increase in global biotech acreage and continued
acceptance of the technology, in September 2006 the World Trade Organization
?s (WTO) dispute settlement panel determined that the European Union (EU)
did in fact impose a de facto moratorium on approvals of new biotech crops.
The dispute settlement panel affirmed that agricultural biotechnology
regulatory systems must be based on science, and risk assessments must be
conducted in a timely manner. The ruling also confirms that international
trading rules clearly apply to agricultural products of modern
biotechnology.

Continued research in plant and animal biotechnology

This past year also saw important biotech developments with consumer
benefits, including:
The development of biotech stone fruit trees that are resistant to plum pox
virus.
Studies of biotech pigs with increased heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Research into prion protein-free cows that are resistant to bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
In addition to these research and development projects, scientists continued
to increase their understanding and knowledge of plants and animals through
genome sequencing projects. In 2006, researchers announced genome sequencing
projects for hogs, wheat, cassava plants, and other economically important
crop plants such as potatoes and poplars. More, researchers published the
genomes for apples, the western honey bee, the cottonwood tree, and Citrus
Tristeza Virus (CTV), one of the largest threats to worldwide citrus
production.

Biotechnology supports rapid development in biofuel production from
agriculture

President George W. Bush?s 2006 State of the Union address, in which he
noted that ?America is addicted to oil,? drew increased attention to
biofuels as a renewable energy resource. Major provisions of the 2005 Energy
Policy Act ? including a Renewable Fuel Standard calling for four billion
gallons of domestically produced biofuel and the elimination of methyl
tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) as an additive to gasoline ? came into effect at
the beginning of the year. In response, ethanol production facilities
increased production of ethanol to 4.9 billion gallons in 2006. Within the
next two years, planned growth will double production capacity of ethanol to
more than 10 billion gallons.

?Biotechnology has had a significant impact on agriculture,? said Greenwood.
?It has changed the way farmers and livestock producers raise crops in the
field and animals in the barnyard, while providing growers with a
competitive edge in today?s marketplace.

?Agricultural biotechnology will continue to give growers added benefits to
enhance the productivity and yield of energy crops and create new biofuels
such as ethanol from cellulose. Soon farmers will be able to harvest and
sell two crops from every field ? a food crop and a biomass energy crop.?

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic
institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across
the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the
research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and
environmental biotechnology products. www.bio.org