The European Coexistence Bureau : Five Years' Experience

The European Coexistence Bureau (ECoB) was established in 2008 to help European Union member states identify best practices for technical segregation measures between GM and non-GM crops and, on these bases,develop guidelines for crop-specific measures for coexistence. The ECoB works with EU mem- ber states' experts, managed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre staff; the ECoB works in consultation with stakeholders. The ECoB deals with best practices of coexistence at the technical and agronomic level, excluding related administrative or legal issues. Since its establishment, the ECoB has focused on coexistence in GM maize production, since this remains the only GM crop cultivated in EU countries. The ECoB has produced Best Practice Documents (BPDs) for (i) coexistence of GM maize crop production with conventional and organic farming, (ii) monitoring efficiency of coexistence measures in maize crop production, and (iii) coexistence of GM maize and honey production. An overview on similar efforts and expert groups, which are beginning to appear outside the Euro- pean Union (United States, Canada, and Brazil) for development of coexistence guidelines, is also presented

Agricultural Nanotechnologies: What are the current possibilities?

Nanotechnology is recognised by the European Commission as one of its six "Key Enabling Technologies" that contribute to sustainable competitiveness and growth in several industrial sectors. The current challenges of sustainability, food security and climate change are engaging researchers in exploring the field of nanotechnology as new source of key improvements for the agricultural sector. However, concrete contributions are still uncertain. Despite the numerous potential advantages of nanotechnology and the growing trends in publications and patents, agricultural applications have not yet made it to the market. Several factors could explain the scarcity of commercial applications. On the one hand, industry experts stress that agricultural nanotechnology does not demonstrate a sufficient economic return to counterbalance the high initial production investments. On the other hand, new nanotech regulation in the EU might create regulatory uncertainty for products already on the market and affect public perception. However, recent studies demonstrate that public opinion is not negative towards nanotechnology and that the introduction on the market of nanotech products with clear benefits will likely drive consumer acceptance of more sensitive applications. The rapid progress of nanotechnology in other key industries may over time be transferred to agricultural applications as well, and facilitate their development

Food and feed products from micro-algae: Market opportunities and challenges for the EU

Micro-algae are a new and promising source of nutrients. The main products obtainable are dried algae with high nutrients content and high-value compounds such as fatty acids, pigments and anti-oxidants. This paper analyses the market and the economic opportunities of micro-algae-based food and feed sectors in the EU through an integrated methodology composed by literature search, interviews to experts and Delphi survey. Results show that the quantities produced and the market size of nutrients obtained from micro-algae are still significantly smaller in comparison to the ones derived from cereals and other commodity crops, but that the sector has seen an impressive and unique growth. Despite the challenges due to the climatic conditions together with the insufficient domestic demand and the complexity of the EU Novel Food regulation, the survey revealed that the EU can improve its market position in the next decade, thanks to its scientific and technological capacity and its dominant position in the global agri-food markets. New micro-algae-based products can be developed for foreign markets, and the improved global production share of European firms (presently of about 5%) may be the result of strategic acquisitions of foreign companies

Correction : Chaparro et al. Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain: Large-Scale Epidemiological Study. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 2885

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain : Large-Scale Epidemiological Study

(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD-Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)-during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100,000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31-56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery

Providing a framework for the analysis of the cultivation of genetically modified crops : the first reference document of the European GMO Socio-Economics Bureau

The purpose of this article is to summarize the development and main results of the first European GMO Socio-Economics Bureau (ESEB) Reference Document. The next section describes the background and drafting procedure of the Reference Document, followed by a summary of the methodology for assessments. A listing of the topics and indicators related to different groups in society, such as farmers, upstream and downstream industries, and consumers is included, and then the article concludes with a brief summary of the main results of the Reference Document and a view to the future work of ESEB

Herbicide resistance : economic and environmental challenges

This article presents comparative perspectives from Australia, the European Union, and the United States from a plenary session, "Herbicide resistance: Challenges for Farmers and Implications for the Environment" at the 19th Annual Conference of the International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research. Herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds threaten the sustainability of herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops, pose environmental risks from alternative weed control methods, and are altering public and private research and development programs. Institutional responses to HR weeds across the three regions, while confronting similar problems (in some respects, but not others), are taking different forms. The article discusses public policies and private-sector strategies to address weed resistance problems. Considerations of HR weeds are already transforming regulatory approval processes for new HR crop varieties. We conclude by discussing over-arching public policy and agricultural research challenges

The impact of restrictions on neonicotinoid and fipronil insecticides on pest management in maize, oilseed rape and sunflower in eight European Union regions

12 p.-6 tab.BACKGROUND:In 2013, the European Commission restricted the use of three neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) and the pyrazole fipronil, which are widely used to control early-season pests. Here, we used original farm survey data to examine the impact of the restrictions on pest management practices in eight regional case studies including maize, oilseed rape and sunflower in seven European Union (EU) countries.RESULTS:In four case studies, farmers switched to using untreated seeds as no alternative seed treatments were available. In three case studies, farmers switched to using unrestricted neonicotinoid- or pyrethroid-treated seeds. In five case studies, farmers increased the use of soil or foliar treatments, with pyrethroids as the principal insecticide class. Other changes in pest management practices ranged from increased sowing density to more frequent scouting for pests. Many farmers perceived that the time, cost and amount of insecticides required to protect crops increased, along with pest pressure. Alternative seed treatments were mostly perceived as being less effective than the restricted seed treatments.CONCLUSION:Farmers generally relied on alternative seed treatments or more soil/foliar treatments in the first growing season after the restrictions took effect. Further study is required to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of these alternatives compared with the restricted insecticides. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.Peer reviewe