Not just high-tech, but the highest tech

Biotechnology is the only technology that offers such a vast potential for solving the world’s problems, says Dr Hans Kast, president and CEO of BASF Plant Science Photo: BASF

And the highest-technology needs the highest level of commitment from a company hoping to make full use of it. Such a commitment has been made by BASF Plant Science, founded in 1998, who in the period 2006-2008 is investing €400 million in the expansion of plant biotechnology.

When asked why it has decided to enter the agricultural biotechnology market, BASF made clear its belief that global pressures on agriculture and the planet itself will bring numerous ecological problems to the planet and economic benefits to those who are able to solve them.

Rising population, less arable land per capita, increasing demand for renewable energy sources, and the resultant increases in the price of wheat and maize have meant that more efficient and more advanced agricultural techniques are needed to ensure a sustained level of production. Agricultural biotechnology is seen, certainly by such companies as BASF, as the way forward.

Indeed, the biotech industry association, EuropaBio, recently released figures on biotech crop cultivation in Europe, showing that the cultivated acreage in Bt maize (the only GM crop currently allowed to be grown in Europe) has increased by 77% in the last year.

The EU has set a target of having 5% of its total transportation fuel being biofuel by 2010

The economic viability of biofuels will mean that by 2030, 30 % of global arable land will be needed to cover 10% of the world’s oil demand Photo: BASF

Figures such as these, coupled with the impending agricultural pressures have led Dr Hans Kast, president and CEO of BASF Plant Science to state that ‘biotechnology is the only technology that offers such a vast potential for solving the world’s problems’.

There is, of course, a handsome reward for any company able to enter the new industry. BASF itself achieved in 2006 sales of approximately €350 million from products partially or completely manufactured using biotechnology. By 2025, the annual market potential of the plant biotechnology industry is expected to be US$50 billion.

This rise in the profile of agricultural biotechnology has led BASF to produce its first GM product – Amflora, a potato containing no amylose, an unusable component of potato starch that traditionally is highly-expensive to remove. The advantages of such a product offer themselves to the textile, paper and adhesive industries, with less energy and resource consumption and higher product quality and process efficiency.

However, despite these apparent benefits and the fact that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated in February 2006 that Amflora is as safe for humans, animals and the environment as any conventional potato, it is still yet to receive approval for cultivation from the EU. Neither the EU Regulatory Committee in 2006 nor the EU Council of Ministers in 2007 were able to reach a decision as to whether to allow the cultivation of the GM potato. BASF are, however, confident that the EU Commission (to whom the case has now been referred) will soon grant the final approval. Indeed the decision is expected within the next few weeks and cultivation is planned for 2008, with an estimated peak licensing income of €20-30 million per year.

Though other companies such as the Dutch starch company AVEBE are currently working on similar low-amylose potatoes, Agrow has been assured by Richard Trethaway, scientific director at Metanomics that Amflora will be, by far, the first GM potato of its kind to be grown in Europe.

The cultivated acreage in Bt maize has increased by 77% in the last year

Bt maize is the only GM crop currently allowed to be grown in Europe Photo: BASF

Though Amflora is at present the only product that BASF has submitted for commercialisation, there are numerous other projects that its Plant Science and Metanomics divisions are developing. For example, much work is being undertaken in regards to developing higher yielding crops. The reasons behind this were made abundantly clear by the figures produced by BASF at the conference:

• The latest UN estimate, produced in May 2007 on the growing world population projects 9.2 billion people by 2050.

• Increasing meat consumption in China alone will result in 22 million hectares of arable land needed to produce feed – an area roughly the size of the current EU cereal production area. A similar occurrence is forecast in the rest of Asia.

• Global stocks of wheat and maize are at all time low levels causing prices to rise dramatically.

• The economic viability of biofuels will mean that by 2030, 30 % of global arable land will be needed to cover 10% of the world’s oil demand. Indeed, the EU has set a target of having 5% of its total transportation fuel being biofuel by 2010.

• Human welfare groups are placing increased pressure on governments to solve the starvation problems prevalent in third world countries.

Amflora will be the first GM potato of its kind to be grown in Europe

Amflora, alow-amylose potato, is at present the only product that BASF has submitted for commercialization Photo: BASF

Such pressures on production mean that there is an increasing effort to produce GM crops that can offer double or triple the yield of those produced using traditional methods. Using maize as an example, it is BASF’s belief that they can increase the yield of maize crops by more than 20% by the second half of the next decade.

In order to be able to sufficiently address the above problems, BASF has recently entered into a collaboration with Monsanto to target yield and stress traits in maize, soybeans, canola and cotton. The project, which has a budget of $1,500 million, is expected to have the first market-ready products available in the first half of the next decade. It is hoped through such collaborations that many of the problems listed above can be solved without loss to human standards of living and even an increased standard in many developing areas of the world.

BASF is quick, however, to state that ‘genetic engineering will not solve all of these problems’ but also says that ‘it (genetic engineering) is an important component of a comprehensive solution, which includes an increase in agricultural productivity’.

In furthering crop efficiency, BASF is also set to tackle fungal resistance, with late blight resistance in potatoes being a particular target. It is estimated that a third of the world’s harvest is lost due to disease, plant pests or weeds each year. Late blight in particular results in annual crop losses of around 20% worldwide. In order to combat the disease, BASF started field trials in 2005 in which resistance genes were introduced in commercially grown potato varieties.

The final target for BASF Plant Science is crops with a higher nutritional value

Due to increasing pressures on fish stocks, BASF Plant Science is developing techniques to introduce genes for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from algae and moss into oil producing crops such as rapeseed and canola Photo: BASF

The final target for BASF Plant Science is crops with a higher nutritional value. In particular, a project to achieve healthy fatty acids, such as Omega-3, is under way. Though it is essential for growth and may reduce significantly the risk of cardiovascular diseases, humans cannot produce Omega-3 ourselves and so must obtain it from an outside source such as fish, fish oil or algae.

However, due to increasing pressures on fish stocks, BASF Plant Science is developing techniques to introduce genes for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from algae and moss into oil producing crops such as rapeseed and canola.

The company hopes that this will provide an environmentally friendly and more cost effective way of producing this essential supplement. Trials of the Omega-3 rapeseed are currently in the greenhouse stage where BASF has had ‘promising results’. Cultivation is planned for the end of the next decade.

There are of course those who oppose BASF’s foray into the agricultural biotechnology industry. Fears over safety, cross-pollination and corporate domination have all been used as arguments against genetically modified crops and it is these fears which BASF Plant Science are trying to calm.

When asked by attendees of the conference how it can guarantee sufficient safety checks, BASF was quick to stress that safety is its main concern and highlighted the numerous regulatory bodies, such as the European Environment Agency (EEA) that are in place to ensure that GM products pose no risk to humans, animals or the environment.

The agricultural community must have the answers ready to calm any fears

There is a need for much better communication between agronomists, ecologists, nutritionists and anyone else involved in the crop production industry, says Professor Marc van Montagu Photo: BASF

The company is also quick to fall back on the much used argument that humans have been selecting optimum genes in crops since the dawn of agriculture 8000 years ago, though many still argue that there is a significant difference, as for the first time we are seeing genes being actively removed, spliced and artificially inserted into individual plants.

Fears have also been raised regarding the possibility of a similar occurrence as with the pesticide DDT in the 1960s, where the chemical was discovered to have carcinogenic properties and was suspected of being harmful to animals and the environment. In response to this, BASF, together with other industry leaders such as Monsanto and Syngenta, has repeatedly argued that standards have dramatically increased since the 1960s and due to the stringent regulations in place, a product like DDT would today not be approved for agricultural use.

In a final bid to promote the value of the work being undertaken by BASF Plant Science and its subsidiary Metanomics, Professor Marc van Montagu, president of the European Federation of Biotechnology and Emeritus Professor at Ghent University in Belgium gave a short presentation to conclude the conference.

Professor van Montagu, introduced by BASF as ‘a pioneer in gene targeting and methodology’, raised numerous arguments for the promotion of agricultural biotechnology highlighting his own fears as to what the levels of global starvation will be when the population hits 9 billion.

Safety is the main concern

Fears over safety, cross-pollination and corporate domination have all been used as arguments against genetically modified crops Photo: BASF

Many of the arguments presented had already been put forward by BASF itself, but more importantly, Professor van Montagu also stressed that in order for agricultural biotechnology to sufficiently fulfil its potential, drastic changes need to be made to the policies surrounding its application.

Firstly, he said, there is a need for much better communication between agronomists, ecologists, nutritionists and anyone else involved in the crop production industry, as if the public and hence the consumer has questions, the agricultural community must have the answers ready to calm any unfounded fears.

Secondly, regulatory costs need to be cut significantly if developing world countries are to be able to make use of the emerging technology. He pointed out that it is not necessarily a case of the big agricultural companies such as BASF, Monsanto or Syngenta over-charging but rather excessive regulations are forcing companies to charge prices that developing world customers are unable to afford.

Finally, he highlighted the inconsistencies prevalent in current EU policy: At present, Europe is largely closed to genetically modified crops, with only Bt maize allowed to be cultivated, despite numerous other products ready and waiting to be approved for cultivation.

Furthermore, transgenic maize cannot be used for feed in Europe yet it is used for feed in South America from where Europe imports a large amount of meat. This, as Professor van Montagu points out, does not make sense. Here, the professor sited the Knowledge-based Bio-economy (KBBE) and, as he put it, the ‘uncomfortable truth’ of how science is being blocked from helping humanity.

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When asked whether a disaster will occur if GMOs are not universally adopted, the professor succinctly answered that a disaster will not occur in the immediate future but rather in ten to 20 years. By then however, it will be too late as it takes ten to 20 years to develop such crops, he stated. From this he made clear his beliefs that action should take place now, lest time remove the opportunity from human hands.

Professor van Montagu’s presentation was not, consequently, issuing anything new, but rather was stressing his belief, shared by BASF, that agricultural biotechnology is absolutely necessary in order to sustain this planets increasing population.

He was accused at one point of producing an over-hyped and over-emotional speech, yet he appears simply to have relied on the facts to support his case. It is perhaps because these facts are so damning of the current EU and NGO policy towards agricultural biotechnology that his enthusiasm was misinterpreted by some for scientific zeal.

Professor van Montagu’s presentation therefore concluded an exhibition by BASF that clearly stated their beliefs surrounding the agricultural biotechnology industry and their aims for the future. With products such as Amflora ready for cultivation and other innovative GM crops in the pipeline, BASF Plant Science looks to be in a strong position to pioneer this new technology and to take advantage of its opportunities.
By Simon Varcoe

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