Hilary Benn, former British Environment Minister
“If GM can make a contribution, then we have a choice as a society and as a world about whether to make use of that technology – and an increasing number of countries are growing GM products. And the truth is we will need to think about the way in which we produce our food… because one thing is certain: with a growing population, the world is going to myneed a lot of farmers and a lot of agricultural production in the years ahead.” 
Bill Gates
“The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that developing countries will have to boost their yields by half to meet the challenge of global hunger. We simply won’t be able to meet that goal without using all the scientific tools at our disposal.” 
FAO Food Security Summit declaration, 16-18 November 2009
“We recognize that increasing agricultural productivity is the main means to meet the increasing demand for food given the constraints on expanding land and water used for food production. We will seek to mobilize the resources needed to increase productivity, including the review, approval and adoption of biotechnology and other new technologies and innovations that are safe, effective and environmentally sustainable.” 
David Byrne, former Commissioner for Health, European Commission
“It is nonetheless disappointing that the political leadership in Europe has failed to emphasize the consistent scientific advice, which is that GM food and feed are as safe as conventional varieties.” 
Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of COPA-COGECA
“Farmers must respond to increased demand for food. We need access to modern technologies that help us to remain competitive. At the same time we have to protect our fragile environment.”
Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco Chief Executive
“Maybe there is an opportunity to discuss again these issues and a growing appreciation by people that GM could play a vital role [in feeding the world’s growing population in the face of climate change].” 
Peter Brabeck, former Chairman and CEO of the Nestlé Group
“You cannot today feed the world without genetically modified organisms. We have the means to make agriculture sustainable in the long term. What we don’t see for the time being is the political will.” 
Professor Lord John Krebs, Former Food Standards Agency chairman
“The moral tragedy of the whole GM debacle was the fact that European prissiness about genetic modification has affected its adoption in Africa.” 
Bob Geldof
“So I’m a big GM guy and part of that is the notion that we (in the West) can’t allow Africans to have genetically modified foods, despite the fact that the science has come on a lot, that there are safeguards. Is it the answer to everything? No, of course not, but it’s partially an answer when crops can grow in arid.”
John Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, European Commission
“The most effective way to take advantage of the potential of GM technology is to follow an approach based on responsible innovation, safety assessments and taking into account other legitimate factors.” 
Hardi Vieira, Development economist at the UN Common Fund for Commodities
“Governments have to respond [to rising food prices] by allowing the import and production of GM crops.” 
Mariann Fischer Boel, former Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
“Certain GMO products can bring advantages in terms, for example, of reduced chemical use and higher yields.” 
Prof. Robert Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department of Food, Rural affairs and Agriculture (DEFRA)
“At the moment, I personally know of no adverse human health implications and I have not seen literature to suggest there are any adverse effects of GM.” 
Prof. John Beddington, Chief Scientific Advisor to the British Government
“Genetically modified foods had a potential to help people. If we had drought tolerant or disease tolerant crops, and there was no risk to human health, it could help.” 
AFSSA (French Food Safety Agency)
“The introduction of new varieties of plants resistant against insects would have a double beneficial effect on health by reducing the exposure of consumers to insecticides with mycotoxins.” 
Prof. Umberto Veronesi, former Italian Health Minister
“Today we know that the GMOs improve humanity. If all organisms have the same genetic structure, why don’t we use this conformation for transferring a gene from one organism to another?” 
Neil Parish, former Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Agriculture Committee
“It is a great irony that we import poultry, pig and beef meet from outside the EU from animals fed on products we deny our own farmers. This helps no-one, consumers have no idea whether their meat has been fed on GM and farmers have to pay through the nose for feed.” 
Jakob Opperer, President of the Agricultural Office of the State of Bavaria
“It makes no sense for Bavaria to bury its head in the sand when worldwide there are already 400 million hectares of transgenic crops.” 
Iain Ferguson, former Chief executive of Tate & Lyle, and President of UK Food and Drink Federation
“An individual market that seeks to isolate itself from the world market is likely to end up paying more… The advantage [of GM crops] may turn out to be one of lower prices and better availability.”
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