An independent environmental assessment has been conducted on Australia's cotton industry.Cotton Australia says it is confident the industry can further reduce chemical use and increase water efficiency.
The pesticide killed other life forms too, but with the invention of insect-resistant, genetically modified cotton – Bt cotton – the plant was able to produce a protein to kill the worm and spraying was significantly reduced. "When I think back to the first one in 1991, there was a list as long as my arm," Cotton Australia chief executive Adam Kay said.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries research showed water productivity increased from 0.6 bales per megalitre in 1997 to 1.2 bales per megalitre in 2021.
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