Biotech Stewardship

Good Stewardship Practices Demonstrate Industry Commitment to Responsible Use of Technology

Farmers, consumers, and the environment benefit every day from agricultural biotechnology. Farmers enjoy increased income and productivity. Consumers enjoy healthy, safe, and abundant food. The environment benefits from decreased chemical applications and carbon emissions. Since 1995, when the first biotechnology-derived crop was first commercially grown, there has not been a single documented case of an ecosystem disrupted or a person made ill by these foods.

From the beginning, the biotechnology industry has been committed to the responsible use of this technology. Over the past 15 years, technology providers have completed well over 20,000 field trials covered under more than 9,000 permits. While a strong federal regulatory system oversees plant biotechnology, ETS believes that industry stewardship is an essential element in a partnership between government and the private sector. It's simple: to maintain stakeholder and consumer confidence, industry must comply with science-based regulations and demonstrate responsible use and accountability.

A History of Industry Stewardship

Researchers focused on stewardship from the earliest days of agricultural biotechnology. Ensuring quality control and responsible management of the technology has been central to developing and commercializing new biotechnology-derived crop varieties. Product stewardship is the responsible management of a product from its inception through to its ultimate use. Stewardship makes good business sense - careful attention to the safety of products and their market impact is essential for high-value products in any industry. In agricultural biotechnology, meticulous production methods are a business requirement so the seeds sold will yield harvests with the desired characteristics, and be environmentally sustainable. This is an essential step to providing more and better food, feed, and fiber through agricultural biotechnology.

The Importance of Widespread Compliance

The best stewardship programs occur when industry members are committed to going above and beyond what is required. Excellence Through Stewardship encourages every plant biotechnology-related organization to implement and maintain strong stewardship practices. As we see new additional consumer and farmer benefits from this technology, we will see ETS members continue to use the technology responsibly. Robust compliance is just one way our industry is going the extra mile so biotechnology can deliver valuable results today and meet growing world demands for food, feed, fiber and energy in the future.

Though industry stewardship has been an essential element from the beginning, BIO and its members formed a Beyond Compliance Taskforce in 2002 to formally leverage industry's experience to educate a wide audience of users on best practices for product stewardship. The original taskforce has been transformed to become the ETS organization, with a Board of Directors and Executive Management staff.

Agricultural biotechnology is helping the world grow more food, produce greater yields of crops for biofuels, and enable farmers to cope with drought and manage water resources. For more information please visit the Council for Biotechnology Information.

Visit the BIO Food and Agriculture site for more information on how biotechnology is contributing to sustainability, improving the environment and benefiting producers.

Globally plant biotechnology has resulted in improved farming techniques and crop production by increasing plants' resistance to diseases and pests; reducing pesticide applications; and improving crop yields. For a global perspective on benefits visit CropLife International.

Farmers continue to expand the global adoption of agricultural biotechnology. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications issues regular reports on global adoption of agricultural biotechnology and how this expansion is helping producers particularly in resource poor developing countries.