Transgenic seeds in developing countries – experience, challenges, perspectives. Summary

Both proponents and opponents of the use of transgenic seeds in developing countries assume that genetic engineering can have far-reaching effects under the ecological, economic, social and institutional conditions of both less developed and emerging countries. On the one hand, there are great expectations that genetic engineering will contribute to food security and economic integration with the industrialised countries; on the other hand, there are great fears about adverse effects on small-scale farming and the traditional use of seeds. The "mega issue" of bioenergy, which in recent years has intensified and intensified the global debate on goals, ways and priorities for the future use of natural resources as a whole, has also triggered the question of the potential of green genetic engineering with new dynamism. From the perspective of its proponents, genetic engineering is seen both as an indispensable means of increasing yields per unit area in arable farming as a whole and for the specific optimisation of "energy crops". Critics of agrogenetic engineering, on the other hand, doubt these assessments and fear a potentiation of the negative ecological, health and above all socio-economic consequences they assume. Subject and aim of the study The aim of the TAB project "Effects of the Use of Transgenic Seeds on Economic, Social and Political Structures in Developing Countries", initiated by the Committee for Economic Cooperation, was to review the general information and debate on this issue and to record as concretely as possible how the use of transgenic seeds has actually developed in the past twelve years, what consequences can be identified and what can be deduced from this for the future design of German (and also European) development policy. The report focuses on four case studies on countries with extensive (Brazil, China) and limited (Chile, Costa Rica) use of genetically modified plants (GM plants). The results of these country studies were discussed comparatively with regard to central questions and objectives: in the area of research and development, on the question of the economic results of the cultivation of transgenic plants to date, on other socio-economic effects and questions of participation, as well as on the recording, evaluation and regulation of risks. Results In 2007, transgenic plants were cultivated in a total of 23 countries on about 114 million ha, which corresponds to about 5 % of the worldwide cultivated area. These areas are very heavily concentrated in five countries in North and South America, which alone account for 88 % of the cultivated areas (USA: 57.7 million ha; Argentina: 19.1 million ha; Brazil 15.0 million ha; Canada: 7.0 million ha; Paraguay: 2.6 million ha), in India (6.2 million ha), China (3.8 million ha) and South Africa (1.5 million ha). Even after twelve years of cultivation, only two genetically transferred traits, namely herbicide resistance ("HR") and Bacillus thuringiensis insect resistance ("Bt"), each alone or combined, represent 99.9 % of the GM plants cultivated, and this in only four plant species (51.3 % soy, 30.8 % maize, 13.1 % cotton, 4.8 % rapeseed). Commercial cultivation takes place almost exclusively in the so-called emerging countries and is limited to two so-called cash crops: HR soy in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) and Bt cotton in India and China. In addition, there are HR and/or Bt maize areas, especially in South Africa, Argentina and the Philippines. Overall, cultivation for food security or for local markets hardly plays a role. The economic importance of these plant products, which are processed and exported as animal feed and for textile production, is considerable in some cases. In China, for example, cotton is the most important agricultural product in terms of value and about 70 % of it is produced from transgenic varieties. In Brazil, the central agricultural product is soya, which has a share of about 10 % of the country\u27s total export and in 2007 about two thirds of which was produced with the help of transgenic varieties

Possible Contributions of Research to Solve the World Food Problem — Approaches, Strategies, Implementation. Summary

Malnutrition and undernourishment have been among the most serious problems facing the global community for decades. In 2009, more than 1 billion people worldwide suffered from hunger - more than ever before since 1970, the beginning of the United Nations World Food Statistics. In addition, there are several billion people suffering from "hidden hunger", i.e. an undersupply of vital micronutrients such as vitamins or minerals. In view of this pressing problem, the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment commissioned TAB in October 2008 with the TA project "What contribution can research make to solving the world food problem?", the terms of reference of which can be outlined by the following questions: Where are there particularly large gaps in knowledge about the world food problem? In which research areas can relevant contributions to solutions be expected, so that more intensive support would be obvious? Where are specific restrictions to be overcome or which new forms of inter- and transdisciplinary research should be developed? The final report includes an overview of the dimensions and influencing factors of the world food problem, a summary of selected topics for research in Germany, and the evaluation of a public expert workshop conducted by TAB as part of the project. In the overall view, possible focal points for future research as well as options for action for a development-oriented research policy are discussed

Pharmacological interventions to improve performance as a social challenge. Summary

For some years now, the use of pharmacological substances as a strategy for mental performance enhancement in work and everyday environments has been discussed under the term "enhancement". The TAB report "Pharmacological interventions for performance enhancement as a societal challenge" presents in detail the state of the possibilities to influence human performance pharmacologically and undertakes a classification of the corresponding substances in terms of drug, food and health law. It is shown that the existing medical ethical standards and approval procedures for medicinal products currently represent a considerable barrier to the development of non-therapeutic enhancement agents. Despite the lack of evidence of efficacy and the considerable potential for side effects, it can nevertheless be assumed that there is relevant substance use in the population, the causes and conditions of which appear to be the real social challenge. The analysis of the bioethical and socio-scientific debate on the topic and, in particular, the evaluation of findings from research into doping practices in competitive and popular sport provide indications of the possible dynamics of enhancement in the context of a "performance-enhancing society"

Bacteriophages in medicine, agriculture and food industry – application perspectives, innovation and regulatory issues. TAB-Fokus

In view of the major challenges to the health of humans, animals and the environment (One Health), especially due to antibiotic resistance, phages represent a relevant option – the potential of which should be investigated and exploited more intensively. Under the current framework conditions, however, it seems to be unlikely that the use of phages for therapeutic purposes in medicine or for applications in agriculture and the food industry will become established in the EU or in Germany better or on a larger scale than it has been so far. To achieve this, it would be necessary to make the legal framework conditions more suitable and flexible, to create special approval programmes and economic incentive structures (e. g. for novel antimicrobial drugs) and to promote research and development activities on phages in a more targeted way. A more intensive exchange on these issues between politics, science, industry, regulatory authorities and – in the case of phage therapy – stakeholders from the health system, such as health insurance companies and patient representatives, should be strived for. This could be the starting point both for tangible practice-oriented steps to design regulations at the national level and for initiatives to make regulation at the EU level more flexible. TAB-Fokus no. 43 provides a compact four-page overview of the contents and results of the TAB report (in German only): "Bakteriophagen in Medizin, Land- und Lebensmittelwirtschaft – Anwendungsperspektiven, Innovations- und Regulierungsfragen. Innovationsanalyse" (for details see Relations in KITopen)

Status quo and developments of prenatal diagnosis. TAB-Fokus

In Germany, prenatal diagnostic procedures have been part of medical pregnancy care for 40 years. Since then, the number of available methods has increased significantly. By summer 2019, the German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) will examine whether non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) will become a benefit provided and reimbursed by the statutory health insurance scheme (GKV). NIPTs can detect certain genetic variations (e. g. trisomy 13, 18 or 21) of the foetus in the maternal blood. The availability of low-risk NIPTs might lead to genetic examinations of the foetus becoming the norm. Thus, fundamental questions about prenatal diagnosis are raised with a new urgency, e. g. how discrimination against people with disabilities can be avoided without calling into question the right to a self-determined desire to have children. The debate that seems to be necessary for society as a whole could be initiated and characterised by parliamentary activities

Opportunities and challenges facing new energy crops. Summary

In the EU, 20% of primary energy demand is to be covered by renewable energy sources by 2020 in order to reduce emissions of climate-relevant gases and dependence on imports of fossil energy sources. Biomass is the most important renewable energy source in both the European Union and Germany, with a share of around two thirds. Bioenergy sources play a major role in the expansion strategies for renewable energies. Biofuel and biogas production have risen sharply in Germany in recent years due to government subsidies. This part of bioenergy is essentially based on energy crop cultivation (mainly rapeseed and maize). However, with food prices rising sharply worldwide, especially in 2007/2008, the expansion targets for biofuels have been called into question to some extent. There was controversy about the extent to which the increasing production of biofuels had contributed to this price increase. With the financial and economic crisis, agricultural prices then fell significantly, and agriculture is in the midst of a revenue and income crisis in which energy crops can once again gain importance as an income option. Another point of discussion is the extent to which ambitious expansion targets will lead to the import of bioenergy sources and thus trigger an expansion of cultivated areas in tropical exporting countries at the expense of rainforest. In the case of large-scale rainforest clearing, this would even mean increased greenhouse gas emissions instead of their reduction. These rapid changes in the public debate pose particular challenges for scientific policy advice in this topic area. Subject and aim of the study The TA project "Opportunities and challenges of new energy crops" (short title "Energy Crops") was approved by the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment on 27 September 2006. Due to the importance of the very complex topic and the manifold demands on the project, a staged approach was chosen. In the first phase of the project, the focus was on the review and comparative evaluation of existing studies. An overview of the subject area is provided in the basic analyses (TAB Working Report No. 121). The studies in the second project phase concentrated on the in-depth analysis of three topic areas: Expansion of energy crop use and (land) competition nationally and internationally, dimensions of environmentally compatible energy crop production, and certification of biogenic energy sources