GM in the EU

Some time ago, we wrote about the resistance in the EU to GM food (see article). We took the view that, if Europe was to avoid permanently high food prices, this policy may need to be reviewed.

We also wrote subsequently about how 2008 was turning out to be the Year of Hunger (see article). In this piece, we took the view that the key to rapid increases in crop yields at a global level would be the development of GM technology.

In an article this week, The Independent reports that the EU is now being urged by some member states (see article) to adopt some GM foods as a way of icreasing the global food supply. This is all to the good.

What is not acknowledged is that there is generally a 15 year lag between starting a project and the impact on crop yields being felt. It would be interesting to consider how that lag will be filled while we await the technologies.