1. Bt Corn in Spain
Miguel León
Lleida, September 21st, 2005

2. Some of the major milestones in agricultural
biotechnology originated in Europe
• Agrobacterium transformation (Belgium)
• First commercial GM plant (bromoxinil tolerant
tobacco, Rhone Poulenc, France)
• First processed GM food: tomato paste
(ICI - UK)
• First Bt corn grown in the USA (Novartis -
Switzerland)
• First GM canola (spring oil seed rape) grown in
Canada (PGS - Belgium)
• First Bt corn grown in Europe (Novartis -
Switzerland)

3. The EU has made significant advances in the
adoption of ag biotechnology
• A completely overhauled, rigorous and
comprehensive regulatory system
• End of the moratorium
• New product approvals (NK603, GT73, etc.)
• 17 Bt corn hybrids listed on the EU Catalog
• Commercial plantings in 2005 in five EU
countries (Spain, Portugal, France, Germany
and the Czech Republic)
• Over 200,000 Has of Bt corn grown in Spain
since 1998

4. Indeed, the EU has been using and
consuming GMO products since 1996
• Field trials:
– Over 2,000 plant releases since 1991
• Imports:
– 32 million MT of soybean products from
USA, Argentina and Brazil
– 4 million MT of corn gluten feed from the
USA
– 0.5 - 1 million MT of corn grain from
Argentina

5. Spain is an important agricultural country
within the EU
% contribution of each member
state to the total agricultural
production in the EU -15
France: 23.1%
Germany: 15.4%
Italy: 15.4%
Spain: 12.5%
UK: 8.7%
The Netherlands: 6.8%

6. Corn is an important crop in many areas of
Spain
AREA Average Yield Production
(KHa's) MT/Ha) ('000 MT)
France 1,900 8.5 16,000
Ha’s
Italy 1,150 9.4 11,000
15-1,000
Spain 450 10.2 4,900
1,000-2,600
Total EU (15) 4,425 8.8 39,000
2,600-6,100
6,100-17,000
Source: EU Commission, Coceral
Source: Ministry of Agriculture 17,000-26,000
26,000-51,000

7. Corn Borer infestations occur to some degree
in all corn growing regions
Overall, about 20% of Spanish
corn suffers some or severe
Corn borer pressure
economic losses because of Not significant
Source: Syngenta Seeds
corn borer attacks Low
Medium
High

8. Corn borers tunnel into the
ears and stalk causing
extensive damage:
• Weak stalks, loss of yield
• Damage to the ears

9. Damages are not only to yield, but also to
grain quality

10. Corn borers are difficult to control with
conventional (chemical) methods
NOV-APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT
adults
pupae
eggs
larvae larvae
eggs
adults
pupae
Overwintering
larvae
• 2 - 4 generations/yr
• Severe damage in the early stages of plant growth

11. Bt corn (Bt) offers many advantages to the
grower and to the environment
• Season long insect protection to the
whole plant (leaves, stalks and ears)
• Healthy plants that yield more
• Higher grain quality
• No impact on beneficial insects
• Easier crop management
• Savings in time and money
• Reduction in insecticide use

12. In 2004, more than 19 million Has of GM corn
were grown around the World
Canada
Spain
USA
Philippines
Honduras
Uruguay
So. Africa
Argentina

13. Trials were done to study the benefits of
Bt corn in Spain
Corn yield (MT/Ha)
16
14
12
10
8
6
Conventional (untreated)
4
Conventional (treated)
2
Bt
0
1997 1998

14. In view of these results and the corn borer
problems, Spain adopted Bt corn in 1998
• The Min. of Ag. approved 2 varieties of Bt
corn (of which only one was actually
planted)
– Total surface had to be limited to about
25,000 Ha’s (5% of the total corn planted in
the country)
– Seed company had to follow a 5 year
monitoring plan
• In the period 1998-2005, over 200,000
Ha’s of Bt corn have been grown in Spain

16. The economics of Bt corn are very favorable
for the farmer
4,500
3,800
4,000
3,400
3,500
Yield Loss (Kg/Ha)
3,000
2,500 2,200
2,000
1,500 1,200
800
1,000
500 200
10% 30% 50% 70% 90% 100%
Stalks with borer attacks
Cost of Bt

17. Good results and farmer satisfaction have
resulted in substantial increase in Bt corn use
In 2005, there are 29 Bt
Penetration of Bt corn
corn hybrids approved (% m.s. of the corn borer market)
for planting in Spain, 17 Conventional
corn
in the EU 20%
80%
58
Bt corn
48
BT Corn Surface (KHA's)
32
22.5 22.5 22.5 22.5
15
'98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05

18. The trade of corn grain and consumption of
corn based products has not been disrupted

19. The trade of corn grain and consumption of
corn based products has not been disrupted
• 85% of Spanish corn is
used for feed
• 50,000 - 120,000 MT of
locally produced GM-
free corn purchased by
major wet miller (corn
processor for food):
- Traceability
- Agreements with
individual coops or
large farmers
- Testing of grain lots
• Cost to the corn trade:
0.5% of price of grain

20. Biotechnology is the future. Good technologies
ultimately succeed and prevail
“In the future, all crops will be transgenic”
James Watson, 2005
“Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with
the progress of human kind.
As that becomes more developed, more
enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new
truths disclosed, and manners and opinions
change with the change of circumstances,
institutions must advance also, and keep pace
with the times”
Thomas Jefferson, 1816