25+ years into the crop biotechnology revolution, ‘Canadian prairie farmers are among the most sustainable on the planet’. Europe? Not so much

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Canadian agriculture has embraced innovative technologies and products. Canadian farmers rapidly adopted genetically modified crops following their approvals in the late 1990s. Twenty-five years later, genetically modified (GM) canola and corn adoption accounts for virtually all production, while GM soybean adoption is >80%. The reduced tillage and chemical use position Canadian prairie farmers among the most sustainable farmers on the planet.

The European Union (EU) has adopted an approach that is the total opposite to that of Canada, implementing a regulatory system that restricts and bans innovative agricultural products and technologies. The EU’s precaution-based approach has resulted in only one GM crop being approved this century, while Canada has approved 107 using a science-based regulatory framework. Agricultural production in the EU remains relatively unchanged despite several decades of transformative agricultural innovation.

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European farmers have been predominantly prevented from adopting innovations enjoyed by Canadian farmers, being forced to rely on older crop production methods. Tillage is still the leading form of weed control throughout Europe. The failure to adopt GM crops in most of Europe results in the annual release of 33 million tons of GHG emissions, making agricultural GHG emissions 7.5% higher than if GM crops had been adopted at rates similar to those in Canada.

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