Innovation was a key topic at the World Seed Congress in Lisbon last week. Edwini Kessie is director of agriculture and commodities at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He told the Irish Farmers Journal at the congress that food production needs to be increased in a sustainable manner.

Gene-editing was one of the major topics for discussion.

“We need to have the technology which will enable us to use the limited resources we have for the World in a much more efficient manner,” Kessie said.

He added that the dissemination of that innovation to countries which need it most through public/private partnerships and good regulatory frameworks will be very important. Innovation will be essential in helping the 673m people who face chronic hunger and malnutrition every day.

When asked for his thought on food versus fuel and the use of productive agricultural land for solar farming and energy production, Kessie noted we need energy to produce food, but added: “When you have productive land being used for non-food production that could eventually undermine the food security around the World.”

Ireland’s battle with imports

When asked on the competition Irish farmers face from grain and protein imports from around the world when implementing EU rules and standards, paying the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism tax and not having access to technologies like gene-editing, Kessie said: “Obviously, all countries have to observe WTO rules. Ireland being a member of the EU, the EU is a leading member of the WTO so they have to observe WTO rules.

“That would mean that Ireland, because of its membership of the EU, it cannot unilaterally increase tariffs. The EU has very bound tariffs, although the average tariffs are quite low, but for certain products the EU has high tariffs.

“It is a problem because if you are competing with countries where the costs of production are lower then small countries, such as Ireland, stand at a disadvantage in the sense that the imports may be cheaper, but they are not allowed or permitted under WTO rules to impose quotas or exceed tariffs.

“I think it’s a fact that small countries such as Ireland, Norway, other countries, Switzerland; they face similar problems about how to deal with imports from large countries where the costs of production are lower.”

Kessie noted that there is a range of options available which countries can adopt to sustain their farmers without impacting negatively on other countries.