The GMO e-conference addressed a series of issues around crop GMOs and the likely expansion of species and traits that will be produced through GMOs processes in the next five years.
January 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has released a summary of an e-mail conference, titled “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the Pipeline: Looking to the next five years in the crop, forestry, livestock, aquaculture and agro-industry sectors in developing countries.”
Participants focused on the crop sector, noting that while most genetic modification in global crop areas focuses on soy, maize, cotton and canola, and involves herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, there are an additional set of traits and crops that are expected to be increasingly part of the genetically modified supply chain in coming years. Experiences were shared from a variety of developing and developed countries, and limited conversations occurred on fish and tree species. Participants underscored the important role of the private sector and public-private partnerships in the development of new GMOs. The moderator’s summary highlighted that the discussions and controversies regarding GMOs are unlikely to subside over the next five years.
The meeting was held from 5 November to 2 December 2012, and was the 18th conference hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum since its launch in 2000. [FAO Biotechnology Forum Website] [Information Resources on GMOs in the Pipeline Biotechnology Forum]