June 19, 2002 -- A new study released by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) shows that crops enhanced through plant biotechnology have resulted in a significant reduction in the use of pesticides on American farms. According to the study, the eight biotech crop varieties currently grown in the U.S. reduced pesticide use by 46 million pounds in 2001.

An analysis of 32 other biotech crop varieties still under development indicates that, if planted, they would reduce pesticide use by 117 million pounds per year, bringing total pesticide reduction for all biotech crops to 163 million pounds annually.

The study, "Plant Biotechnology: Current and Potential Impact for Improving Pest Management in U.S. Agriculture," was released at the Biotechnology Information Organization (BIO) 2002 conference in Toronto, Canada. The NCFAP study is a wide-reaching assessment of the economic and environmental impact of biotech crops, including a significant reduction in the use of pesticides on food and fiber crops.

The greatest pesticide reduction in 2001 was calculated for herbicide- tolerant soybeans (28.7 million pounds) and herbicide-tolerant cotton (6.2 million pounds). Other totals for pesticide reductions for crops currently grown in the U.S. include herbicide-tolerant corn (5.8 million pounds), insect-resistant corn (2.6 million pounds), insect-resistant cotton (1.9 million pounds), and herbicide-tolerant canola (0.5 million pounds).

"As a farmer, I know that plant biotechnology has helped me significantly reduce pesticide sprayings on my own farm," says Larkin Martin, a cotton grower in Courtland, AL. "Before I started planting Bt cotton in 1996, I had to spray two to six times, depending on the season, in order to control worm pests. Today we average spraying less than once per season to control those pests. In some fields we do not spray at all."

Among the NCFAP study's estimates for the other biotech crop varieties still under development, field corn resistant to rootworm offers some of the greatest potential. It could replace 14 million pounds of insecticides used on this crop each year.

The NCFAP study was supported initially by the Rockefeller Foundation, with additional grants to expand the study from Monsanto, BIO, CropLife America, Council for Biotechnology Information, and the Grocery Manufacturers of America. The complete report is available at www.ncfap.org.