Bred for Europe but grown in America: The case of GM sugar beet

In 2007, a genetically modified sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) tolerant against glyphosate, a commonly used broad spectrum herbicide (GMHT ), was commercialised in the USA and Canada. The speed of uptake of GMHT sugar beet by farmers has no precedent. While it took the hitherto most successful GM crop in the USA 15 years to reach an adoption rate of 95%, GMHT sugar beet achieved this figure after only two years. Although this figure hints towards a success story, the history of GMHT sugar beet follows a complicated path which starts on the European continent and ends with a court decision to halt cultivation in the USA for the moment. This paper tells the story, meanwhile presenting the first estimations of the effect GMHT had on the USA’s environment and economy, and highlighting the potential of the technology in Europe.

DILLEN Koen;  DEMONT Matty;  TILLIE Pascal;  RODRIGUEZ CEREZO Emilio; 

2013-01-18

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC73185

1871-6784,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC73185,