Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Challenges and Limitations of GM
Plants for Animal Nutrition
Gerhard Flachowsky*
Institute of Animal Nutrition, Friedrich-Loeffl er-Institute (FLI),
Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Braunschweig,
Germany
Bruinsma, 2012; HLPE, 2013). Cereal
production has increased from 0.88 billion t
(1961) to 2.35 billion t (2007) and is
expected to rise to over 4 billion t by 2050
(FAO, 2006).
As vegans demonstrate, there is no
essential need for food of animal origin, but
the consumption of meat, i sh, milk and
eggs may contribute signii cantly to meeting
human requirements for amino acids (Young
et al
., 1989; WHO, 2007; D'Mello, 2011;
Pillai and Kurpad, 2011) and some important
trace nutrients (such as Ca, P, Zn, Fe, I, Se,
Vitamins A, D, E, B
12
, etc.), especially for
children and juveniles, as well as for pregnant
and lactating women (Wennemer
et al
.,
2006). Human nutritionists (Waterlow,
1999; Jackson, 2007) recommend that
about one-third of the daily protein require-
ments (0.66-1 g per kg of body weight; Rand
et al
., 2003; Jackson, 2007; WHO, 2007)
should originate from protein of animal
origin. h is means that about 20 g of a daily
intake of about 60 g should be based on
protein of animal origin, which is lower than
the present average consumption through-
out the world (without i sh: 23.9 g per day;
Table 1.1).
h e conditions for the production of food
of animal origin are also being questioned
more and more, especially in the developed
countries, as exemplii ed in Fig. 1.1.
Immediately after the Second World War,
people were hungry and required all types of
h e world population is still growing and
demanding more and better food as well as
other products for an improved standard
of living. At the end of October 2011, the
7 billionth person was born. Sustainability
in feed and food production is a key challenge
for agriculture, as has been summarized
recently in many papers (Fedorof
et al
.,
2010; Godfray
et al
., 2010; Pardue, 2010;
Foley
et al
., 2011; FAO, 2012a; Giovannucci
et al
., 2012; HLPE, 2012; Flachowsky
et al
.,
2013) and topics or proceedings (Zollitsch
et al
., 2007; Wenk
et al
., 2009; Behl
et al
.,
2010; Casabona
et al
., 2010; Welzer and
Wiegandt, 2011; Potthast and Meisch, 2012;
Viljoen and Wiskerke, 2012; Wals and
Corcoran, 2012). In the future, there will be
strong competition for arable land and
further non-renewable resources such as
fossil carbon sources, water (Renault and
Wallender, 2000; Hoekstra and Champaign,
2007; Cominelli and Tonelli, 2010; Schlink
et al
., 2010; Deikman
et al
., 2012) and some
minerals (such as phosphorus; Hall and Hall,
1984; Scholz and Wellmer, 2013), as well as
between feed/food, fuel, i bre, areas for
settlement and natural protected areas.
According to the FAO (2009a,b), the human
population will increase globally from
currently about 7 billion to more than 9
billion in 2050, but about 70% more meat
and milk will be required (Alexandratos and
