Truth Behind the EU’s Taboo on Biotechnology

By Mr. Won Myoung NOH, Maeil, Business Daily Newspaper

In order to report on biotechnology derived products, I traveled to the United States where the top three global biotech corporations are headquartered. Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer had high interests in the Korean government’s biotech policy. KFDA (Korea Food & Drug Administration) is currently working to make the biotech labeling regulations stricter, mirroring those of the European Union (EU). Those who have concerns about the growing anti-biotech sentiments outside of the EU seem to think of Korea as a stepping stone for the future of biotechnology.

In a meeting with Andy Benson, vice president of IFIC (International Food Information Council) in Washington, D.C., he argued the debate over biotech is, in fact, not about safety but about trade. According him, the EU is the most biotech-averse region in the world. Europeans reject biotech for the reason that they are ‘unnatural’ or their safety has not yet been proven sufficiently. However, the complex causes that underlie the reason for their aversion are industrial interests of protecting the EU farmers, he analyzed.

His argument is right, in some ways. European countries have built agricultural capacity on a large scale but that is not enough to compete with the United States’ huge corporate farming. Moreover, the EU, which meets the food demands on its own, does not have desperate needs for biotech-based production increase. In addition, it seems reluctant to participate in biotechnology development that is already led by the U.S. corporations.

Korea, however, has a different situation from the EU. Korea’s self-sufficiency rate is just around 25 percent. Last year, it spent about 8 trillion Korean wons ($6.9 billion) on grain imports. The choice to import only non-biotech grains will require additional 2 or 3 trillion Korean wons ($1.7-2.6 billion), which would be alternatively used to feed poor children in Korea or help North Koreans suffering from starvation. Of course, economic value and utility is not everything. It is especially true in terms of human health and safety. But critics of biotech have not presented any substantial evidence to demonstrate that the safety of biotech is doubtful. If the opposition is based on just an emotional reason, the price might be too high to pay.

Mr. Myoung was a participant of the U.S. Grains Council Korea Biotech Media Team that traveled throughout the United States in November to learn how U.S. farmers utilize agricultural biotechnology in their farming practices. With very little previous knowledge and a country full of consumers with a negative perception of biotechnology, this team received firsthand information on the facts behind biotechnology. Inviting a team of news reporters was part of a larger effort by the Council to reach out to the general consumer. Mr. Myoung’s story was published Dec. 10, 2009, in the Maeil Business Daily Newspaper. It was translated by Monsanto Korea and USGC staff.