Maiz’ Europ’ / PC – 13/05/04

Maize is a much more recent crop than wheat in France and the rest of Europe. Though it was brought back from America by Christopher Columbus in the fifteenth century, for a long time it could only be grown in southern Europe, owing to the lack of early varieties. And even where maize was grown, yields tended to be low and subject to wide fluctuation. But with the appearance of hybrids after the Second World War, the development of earlier varieties in France, and the increased use of other inputs, grain maize yield was regularized and experienced a five-fold increase over a period of some forty years.

Though maize is not especially vulnerable to pest attack, plants do need protecting against insects, and the protection techniques currently available (artificial products) do not afford full protection. Inspired by results with sunflower crops, where crosses with wild populations had given rise to mildew-resistant varieties, efforts were made to seek maize populations that would be naturally resistant to European corn borer and pink stem borer, two pests responsible for substantial damage to maize crops in Europe. Unfortunately, these efforts would prove unsuccessful.

Maize varieties resistant to European corn borer were eventually produced by transgenic addition of the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene, using a technique developed over twenty years of biotechnology research. Bt maize offers two major environment and health advantages for farmers and consumers:

Despite these advantages, consumer reticence discourages French farmers from growing Bt maize. Because the technologies behind Bt maize address the very essence of living matter —the plant genome— and are developed by major multinational companies, a minority alterglobalist movement has been able to play on the public’s natural fear of innovation and kindle further mistrust by emphasizing the commercial aspects connected with the launch of genetically modified (GM) crops. Swayed by negative media attention and outspoken rejection of GM in certain political quarters, ill-informed consumers tend to flee the idea of foodstuffs containing genetically modified crops.

However, to prepare the way for the eventual take-up of GM maize crops in France, AGPM (the French Maize Growers’ Association) and its official and professional partners have conducted farm-scale trials to determine optimum conditions for crop growing and post-harvest processes capable of ensuring non- conflictive management of GM crops alongside conventional crops.

The new maize varieties have been grown in Spain for six years without the slightest difficulty, and have proved their worth, especially in 2003, when atypical climatic conditions produced very high populations of corn borer and other pest insects. GM crops are on the increase in around twenty countries worldwide; GM varieties of soy, maize, rapeseed and cotton covered over 67 million hectares in 2003, which is twice the size of agricultural land in France. GM maize was grown on over 15 million hectares, and meets with consistent success.

Pending the arrival of new GM varieties bringing improved grain quality and better tolerance to cold and drought, French maize growers see Bt maize as a promising opportunity to enhance safe, consistent, environmentally sound and healthy farming practice.