CropLinks Spring Edition 2014

THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA

SPRING EDITION 2014

CropLife Australia develops world-first smart‑phone app for farmers and beekeepers CropLife Australia has recently launched BeeConnected, a first of its kind geomap-based, user-driven communication and coordination tool to help protect Australia’s honey bee population.

Available as a smart-phone app for Android and iPhone, and as a web browser-based program, BeeConnected provides an easy-to-use tool which connects beekeepers with farmers and spray contractors to help ensure the safety of bees during normal farming practices.

Australia has one of the healthiest honey bee colonies in the world,

responsible for the pollination of many of Australia’s food crops.

CropLife’s consultation on new and world-leading stewardship programs with both farmers and beekeepers identified an opportunity to enable easy and effective communication between the parties.

vitally important to the success of Australia’s agricultural industry.

BeeConnected is part of CropLife’s Pollinator Protection Initiative and reflects CropLife’s commitment to global best practice industry stewardship.

BeeConnected has already proven to be popular with hundreds of beekeepers, farmers and spray contractors downloading the app or using the website. Feedback indicates that it is an innovative tool that is helping to improve communication between the beekeeping and cropping sectors, both

representing the best of the plant science industry

Matthew Cossey Chief Executive Officer, CropLife Australia

From the Chief Executive Officer Chemistry and biotechnology crucial to sustainability When you sit down to your next meal it should serve as a good trigger to realise that by 2050 the world will need to be producing more than 7 billion extra meals each and every day, 365 days a year, just to meet the global population’s minimum food demands by today’s standards.

This will need to be achieved in a political, economic and social climate where the vast majority of that demand for food is generated from an urban‑based population that is becoming more and more detached, perhaps even ignorant, about the challenges in sustainably producing the food, feed and fibre to meet that demand, and the effort that the farming sector needs to put in to deliver it.

Despite farmers producing the food on everyone’s plate, they often have

CropLife Australia members are the global leaders in industry stewardship through their adoption of CropLife’s industry code of conduct that demonstrates their commitment to high standards of safety, stewardship and product quality.

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to do it in the most challenging of circumstances, combating extreme weather, inappropriate and excessive government regulation, activist interference and obstruction, and city‑based consumers that are becoming short‑term fad driven in their purchasing behaviour.

When used appropriately, crop protection products (pesticides) and GM crops are essential innovations that enable safe and sustainable modern farming practices. Consumers need to ensure their purchasing behaviour is guided by science and fact not on the latest activist organisation fear campaign designed to raise money, rather than inform.

Real sustainability in farming will not be achieved if consumers are duped by such fear mongering.

CropLife members also comply with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides.

CropLife’s whole-of-life-cycle stewardship programs promote ethical and responsible practices from discovery and development of crop protection and crop biotechnology products through to their use, and the final disposal of associated wastes.

CropLife Australia represents the best of the plant science industry.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

What does ‘natural’ food look like?

It is impossible to walk down the supermarket aisle without being overwhelmed by the number of products claiming to be ‘natural’.

Marketing food as ‘natural’ can be very profitable as many people strive to eat food that is considered to be untouched and unmodified. Some popular diets even claim to replicate the diets of those humans who lived before the birth of agriculture. But what does it all mean?

Farmers have been using plant science to breed larger, tastier, higher yielding, more pest and stress resistant crops for as far back as 10,000 years. Traditionally this was done by selectively breeding closely related plants together to introduce new, favourable genes into a new line or variety of plant. Over many generations, new varieties were produced that bore little resemblance to the wild forms from which they originated.

In the 19th century, agricultural scientists began to breed hybrid crop varieties, which involves crossing two genetically distinct parent plants to produce offspring with the desired combination of parental characteristics. Hybridisation can be between individuals of the same species or between individuals of closely related species.

From the mid-20th century, many new plant breeding techniques using distantly related species were invented. Chemical and radiation means were also used to ‘mutate’ the genes. Known as mutagenesis it allows plant breeders to speed up natural mutation rates or generate novel mutations to increase the number of genetic variations to screen and use.

In conventional plant breeding, hundreds of genes, both desirable and undesirable, can be transferred from each parent plant into the offspring and a process called

‘back-crossing’ is then used to breed more desired traits. This involves a lot of trial and error and it can take many generations and a significant amount of time to breed a desirable plant.

Modern science allows plant breeders to select and transfer specific genes, enabling them to breed new varieties of crops with desirable traits with greater control and efficiency than in the past.

This process is commonly referred to as genetic modification (GM). Scientists can also ‘turn up’, ‘turn down’ or ‘silence’ specific genes. GM crops are the most scrutinised food source in human history and despite GM food being consumed in over three trillion meals, there has not been a single report of any negative health impact. There is vast consensus across the international science community that GM crops are no more or less safe and nutritious than their conventionally bred counterparts.

James Kennedy, a high school chemistry teacher from Haileybury in Victoria has set out to show how far modern food crops have come from their ‘natural’ ancestors.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

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Crop Protection

Mouldy strawberries? No thanks Mouldy strawberries would be a sure fire way to sap the romance out of Valentine’s Day. It is concerning, therefore, that grey mould is a common and serious disease, which occurs wherever strawberries are grown.

In fact, 100% of strawberry acres in the United States are infested with grey mould. Fortunately, grey mould can be prevented by treating strawberries with a registered fungicide.

A 2013 report by Deloitte Access Economics, Economic activity attributable to crop protection products, found that it would not be possible to commercially

produce strawberries in Australia without access to fungicides and other crop protection products. The report found the same to be true for grapes, many of which go into making fine Australian wine. With Valentine’s Day just a few months away, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the importance of plant science to Australian agriculture and food production.

European farmers bearing the brunt of poor agchem policy UK canola farmers have been left without the tools to combat an infestation of flea beetles, following the banning of several products in the neonicotinoid class of insecticides. In a season that had otherwise perfect growing conditions, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is predicting national losses of 2.7%, with losses of above 40% reported in some counties. Farmers in Germany, the European Union’s (EU) largest canola producer, are experiencing similar losses.

The European Commission decided to implement a precautionary ban on neonicotinoids due to pressure from activist groups, which attribute large scale bee deaths and Colony Collapse Disorder to the use of the chemicals.

After similar pressure in Australia, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority investigated the issue and found neonicotinoids offer a range of benefits when compared with older organophosphate and carbamate

insecticides they have mostly replaced and advised that “the scientific literature shows there is lack of consensus on the causes of honey bee declines, with a wide range of possible causes being actively investigated”.

It is vital that all public policy is evidence‑based and informed by scientific fact. As seen in the UK and elsewhere in the EU, the consequences of succumbing to the pressure of ill-informed activists can be incredibly damaging.

Plant science keeping our glasses full on International Beer Day On International Beer Day 2014, CropLife ran a social media awareness campaign

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to highlight the importance of crop protection products to Australian agriculture and consumers.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

Australian farmers would not be able to commerically produce hops without the use of crop protection products.

Hops are essential to beer production.

Beer is delicious.

Cheers to the plant science industry for supporting our farmers.

Always drink responsibly

Facts about crop protection ■■ Did

you know that hops, an essential ingredient in making beer, could not be commercially produced in Australia without the use of crop protection products?

■■ This

extends to onions, grapes, papayas and many other fruits, nuts and grains, which would not be commercially viable without crop protection products.

■■ $17.6

billion of Australian agricultural output is attributable to the use of crop protection products. This is equivalent to 68% of the total value of Australian crop production.

All data from Deloitte Access Economics, 2013, ‘Economic activity attributable to crop protection products’.

Crop Biotechnology

29-year, trillion-meal study shows GM to be safe A new study carried out by University of California-Davis Department of Animal Science geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam and published in the Journal of Animal Science reviewed the health data of more than 100 billion animals before and after the introduction of GM crops in 1996.

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Prior to 1996, 100% of animal feed was GM free. After the introduction of GM crops, the use of GM feed in the United States quickly rose to over 90%. Of the 9 billion food producing animals raised in the United States each year, more than 95% now consume feed containing GM ingredients.

There were no observed negative trends in livestock health between the periods 1983– 1996 and 1996–2011. No study has revealed any differences in the nutritional profile of animal products derived from animals fed

GM feed. The study also found no evidence to suggest any health effect on humans who eat those animals.

The author also stated that since DNA and protein are normal components of the diet that are digested, there are no detectable or reliably quantifiable traces of GM components in milk, meat, and eggs following consumption of GM feed.

The study is available at journalofanimalscience.org

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

What does the science world say about GM crop safety?

Despite the protests of many ideological activists, every legitimate scientific organisation in the world has confirmed that GM crops and the food derived from them are as safe as their conventional counterparts.

World Health Organization

Australian Academy of Science

“No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of GM foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”

“The Australian Academy of Science supports the responsible and ethical use of gene technologies to produce genetically modified plants for use in Australian agriculture.”

20 Questions on Genetically Modified Foods, 2013

Statement on gene technology and GM plants, 2007

Food Standards Australia New Zealand “To date, gene technology has not been shown to introduce any new or altered hazards into the food supply, therefore the potential for long term risks associated with GM foods is considered to be no different to that for conventional foods already in the food supply.”

The European Commission “The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research, and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular, GMOs, are no more risky than conventional plant breeding technologies.”

Decade of EU-funded GMO Research (2001–2010), 2010

FSANZ website, 2013

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “When appropriately integrated with other technologies for the production of food, agricultural products and services, biotechnology can be of significant assistance in meeting the needs of an expanding and increasingly urbanized population in the next millennium.”

FAO Statement on Biotechnology, March 2000

EASAC (24 European Academies of Science) “Controversies about the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops have too often been based on contested science or have confounded effects of the technology with the impact of agriculture per se or changes in agronomic practice.”

Planting the future: opportunities and challenges for using crop genetic improvement technologies for sustainable agriculture, June 2013

The American Medical Association “There is no scientific justification for special labelling of genetically modified foods.

Bioengineered foods have been consumed for close to 20 years, and during that time, no overt consequences on human health have been reported and/or substantiated in the peer‑reviewed literature.”

AMA 161st Annual Meeting, 2012

The American Association for the Advancement of Science “There are several current efforts to require labelling of foods containing products derived from genetically modified crop plants, commonly known as GM crops or GMOs. These efforts are not driven by evidence that GM foods are actually dangerous. Indeed, the science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe.”

Statement by the AAAS Board of Directors, June 2013

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

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Industry Stewardship

drumMUSTER recently celebrated the collection of 24 million drums since the program’s inception in 1998

Local school partners with drumMUSTER to raise funds The Kioma State School in Queensland has been awarded brand new footballs to recognise their achievement through participation in the drumMUSTER program.

Kioma State School: Ayla Mulckey, Steve Wilkins, Ewen Beaton, Brett Crawley, Donald Thorn, Lijiana Burrows, Rhay-lee Kenyon, Jaykob Burrows, Lilly Knight, Wyley Thorn, Dakoda Stanley, Telia Kenyon, Chloe Wilkins, Holly Beaton, Ella Wilkins, Nyah Thorn, Piper Beaton, Mr Joey Campbell (Principal), Chelsea Mullins, Campbell Crawely, Flynn Mulckey and Keely Thorn.

drumMUSTER and ChemClear are industry stewardship programs run by CropLife Australia’s wholly owned subsidiary Agsafe. The programs are run as part of the Industry Waste Reduction Scheme (IWRS). Participating members in the IWRS are CropLife Australia, Animal Medicines Australia, Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association, the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Local Government Association.

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More than 31,400 empty agvet containers have been collected by the school’s P&C Association, which offers the service in conjunction with Goondiwindi Regional Council.

This accomplishment comes after only one year of operation of the service.

Kioma State School is located 76km north west of Goondiwindi and has been operating for 56 years. Due to the remote location, fundraising events are hard to make profitable. Money raised through drumMUSTER goes towards their school bus, camp and purchasing other resources.

New Agsafe chemical manufacturer course An online course specifically designed for people working in sales, research and development, and regulatory environments is now available.

Agsafe has worked closely with manufacturers to develop the Agsafe Chemical Manufacturer Course— a relevant, time-effective training program that has been tailored to meet the needs of non-retail employees.

The new course replaces the requirement for personnel in the manufacturing sector to complete the two-day face-to-face ‘Basic Training Course’, which is more relevant to resellers.

To contact an Agsafe Accreditation and Training representative, email info@agsafe.com.au or call (02) 6230 4799.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Water efficient maize developed for east Africa Maize is a staple food in Sub-Saharan Africa and supports the livelihoods of about 300 million people.

However, since maize production is almost completely rain-fed in this region, droughts can have a devastating impact on crop productivity and quality.

The Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project was established to help farmers grow maize under extreme weather conditions. WEMA is a public–private partnership led by the African Agriculture Technology Foundation in conjunction with the plant science industry, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and five national agricultural research centers in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Together these groups are researching ways to double maize yields through conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and biotechnology, and so far the results have been promising.

Initial plantings of WEMA’s conventionally bred hybrid WE 1101 DroughtTEGO seed in Kenya resulted in substantially higher maize production compared with other local seed varieties. Among 39 planting sites initially surveyed, the improved seed resulted in an average harvest of 4.5 tons per hectare—more than double the national average of 1.8 tons per hectare.

To date, a total of 25 DroughtTEGO hybrids have been approved for commercialisation and are being grown in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, while a further 30 new hybrids have been entered into the final phase of variety registration in all five participating WEMA countries for potential release by 2015.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

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News and Events

Eurofins Agrisearch opens Australia’s first commercial post entry plant quarantine facility

Adama has finalised an agreement with the China National Agrochemical Corporation, acquiring control of businesses in China, with total sales of $850 million. The acquisition is a first step towards Adama being the only truly integrated China–Global player in the crop protection industry and will position the company as a leading player in the fragmented domestic Chinese crop protection market.

The Youth Ag-Summit is the global platform to inspire and connect the next generation of young leaders in agriculture.

At the summit, 100 young leaders aged 18 to 25 from all around the world will meet to share perspectives and create an open dialogue on one of the world’s most challenging questions: How to feed a hungry planet? The summit will take place in Canberra, Australia from 24–28 August 2015. The essay contest was launched on 2 October 2014—more information www.youthagsummit.com

Eurofins Agrisearch recently opened their state-of-the-art, post entry plant quarantine facility in Toowoomba, replacing the service previously provided by Eagle Farm. This facility will deliver a long-term, faster and more efficient service for the grains, pulses and cotton industries.

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ISK Biosciences Oceania is working in Australia to establish a number of their chemical agents to offer Australian farmers the benefits of ISK chemicals, which are currently registered elsewhere in the world but not yet in Australia. The first products to be registered include novel chemistries that will offer tools in managing pesticide resistance.

Syngenta Territory Head Australasia, Paul Luxton, presented at the Ag in the Asian Century Conference in Toowoomba in October, calling for growers to target segments where Australia has a competitive advantage, particularly around seasonability, quality and production that will help ensure Australia’s agriculture future.

Nufarm Australia and Israel-based technology firm Phytech have made an exclusive agreement to jointly develop a proprietary plant monitoring system in Australia and New Zealand.

The system provides real time monitoring via mobile in-field devices on a range of parameters that allow growers to optimise inputs and make other decisions that impact on both the quality and yield of their crops. Nufarm will initially help introduce the technology in key agricultural industries, working with major growers to ensure they have the agronomic support and data feeds to take advantage of the system.

Australia plays a key role in addressing the global population growth challenge, according to Paul Luxton.

Of 198,000 full-time employees in agriculture, only 21% are female, demonstrating a need for the industry to refocus its efforts on diversity and equal opportunity (EO).

Monsanto has found that for diversity and EO to thrive it can’t be viewed as a short‑term project, it should be a key part of doing business and organisational culture, implemented in practice and delivered through the employment pipeline.

CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

How can farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change?

A full suite of crop protection and plant biotech products can help farmers: REDUCE

REDUCE

Agriculture’s environmental footprint

Food prices

FARMERS… $

need access to the best mix of technologies to look after our planet, feed a growing population and progress their communities.

¢

IMPROVE

INCREASE

Food security

Food production

Today’s technologies

Drought Tolerance

No-till agriculture Farmers remove yield-robbing weeds using herbicide-tolerant varieties and crop protection products instead of tillage practices.

Drought tolerance can

INCREASE YIELDS NEARLY 15–20%

Plant science researchers are developing plants that are drought-tolerant and water-efficient.

in times of severe drought for these key regions in 20501

No-till can increase global maize yields on irrigated hectares1 UNITED STATES

EAST AFRICA

CHINA

Plant Biotechnology In 2012, biotech crops helped slow the advance of climate change by

REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS

27 BILLION KG,

equivalent to 11.9 million cars off the road for a year, due to less tillage, less fuel use and more carbon capture2

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International Food Policy Research Institute, Agritech Toolbox, http://apps.harvestchoice.org/agritech-toolbox

2

Insecticides, Herbicides, Fungicides

Crop Protection

Brookes, Graham & Barfoot, Peter, ‘GM Crops: Global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996–2012’

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CROPLINKS THE NEWSLETTER OF CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA | SPRING 2014

Crop protection products prevent nearly 40% of global rice and maize harvests from being lost every year.3

Oerke, EC 2006, ‘Crop losses to pests’, Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 144

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CropLife Australia CropLife Australia (CropLife) is the national peak industry organisation representing the agricultural chemical and biotechnology (plant science) sector in Australia. CropLife represents the innovators, developers, manufacturers, formulators and registrants of crop protection and ag-biotechnology products.

The plant science industry provides products to protect crops against pests, weeds and diseases, as well as developing crop biotechnologies that are key to the nation’s agricultural productivity, sustainability and food security.

CropLife is focused on three key areas of modern farming: crop protection (pesticides), crop biotechnology (GM crops) and industry stewardship.

CropLife’s members represent 85 per cent of crop protection and 100 per cent of the crop biotechnology products used by Australia’s farmers.

CropLife ensures the responsible use of the industry’s products through its code of conduct and has set a benchmark for industry stewardship through programs such as drumMUSTER, ChemClear® and Agsafe Accreditation and Training.

CropLife Australia is part of the CropLife International Federation, representing the industry in 91 countries around the world.

Facts about Australia’s plant science industry ■■

The plant science industry is worth more than $17.6 billion a year to the Australian economy and directly employs thousands of people across the country.

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CropLife Australia member companies contribute over $13 million a year to stewardship activities, which ensure their products are sustainably managed for the benefit of users, consumers and the environment.

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It costs up to US $136 million and 13 years to research, develop and register a new GM crop product.

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It costs up to US $256 million to research, develop, and register a new crop protection product: only 1 in 139,000 chemical products make it out of the laboratory.

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Pesticides are a key tool for farmers; increasing crop production by up to 50 per cent by ensuring crops are pest and disease free.

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In 2012 the net economic benefit from using GM technology was US $18.8 billion equal to an average increase in income of US $117 per hectare.

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The amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved by biotech crops in 2012 was equal to removing 11.9 million cars from the road for one year.

Crop Biotechnology

Industry Stewardship

Crop Protection CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA MEMBER COMPANIES

CROPLIFE AUSTRALIA LIMITED t 02 6230 6399 f 02 6230 6355 w www.croplife.org.au

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