Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 6 • 30th March 2007

BIOTECH UPDATE: SOUTH AFRICA REJECTS, EU ACCEPTS, NEW GMOS; GREENPEACE STUDY FINDS EVIDENCE OF GM TOXICITY

Do More

Download this issue

See also

BIOTECH UPDATE: SOUTH AFRICA REJECTS, EU ACCEPTS, NEW GMOS; GREENPEACE STUDY FINDS EVIDENCE OF GM TOXICITY South Africa rejects first biofuel GM

A new strain of maize developed by Syngenta to provide improved feedstock for the production of biofuels has been rejected by the authorities in South Africa. Called "maize event 3 272", the GMO contains elements from a micro-organism from the deep sea. Maize event 3 272 is the first variety developed explicitly to serve the biofuel industry (or indeed, any food crop variety developed for industrial purposes), and it has not yet been approved in any country.

Syngenta had applied for the approval of imports of the maize variety into South Africa, not for the approval of cultivation. Civil society groups had voiced their scepticism regarding maize imports from an unnamed country, assumed to be the US. Firstly, maize is an important food crop in South Africa that millions depend on as their staple food. Secondly, as the biofuel industry develops in South Africa, these groups would like to see them provide opportunities to local farmers. The local farmers without access to the new cultivar would hardly be able to compete with subsidised GM corn from the US.

In its decision to reject Syngenta’s application, the Executive Council of the South African Department of Agriculture, which has jurisdiction in GM matters, cites the fear of contamination of conventional varieties. According to the Executive Council, "Contamination of South African export products with Event 3 272 could jeopardise the export of maize products and may have serious economic consequences." Further, testing of the GM had not followed World Health Organisation procedures for evaluating whether the new GM maize contained allergens, and the Executive Council said it had not been shown to be safe as food or animal feed.

Mariam Mayet of the Johannesburg-based African Centre for Biosafety, welcomed the decision. "This is the first time (the government) has refused a new variety of GM crop on food safety grounds. It is a historic decision and sets a very important precedent," she said.

EU authorises GM rapeseed

The European Commission on 26 March authorised German company Bayer to market three genetically modified (GM) rapeseed varieties across the EU for the next ten years.

The rapeseed varieties have all been genetically modified to resist the glufosinate-ammonium herbicide. Bayer’s authorisation is for industrial applications, as well as for use in animal feed, but does not involve cultivation.

The decision to approve Bayer’s application was a ‘rubberstamp’ procedure applied by the Commission. The ‘rubberstamp’ is a legal default process that comes into effect if ministers cannot agree after three months. Since the new European traceability and labelling regulations for GMOs entered into force in April 2004, ending an unofficial six-year freeze on approving new GMO products, a string of GMOs have been approved this way, much to the dismay of green groups.

A GM carnation, manufactured by Australian company Florigene, engineered to produce a blue pigment and be herbicide resistant, is also expected to be approved in this manner in the coming weeks

France approves new GM trials, will adopt GMO legislation by decree

In related news, the French agriculture ministry has authorised 13 field trials for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and announced that the EU rules on GMOs will be adopted by decree before the end of March.

Twelve trials for GM maize and one for GM tobacco were approved after their evaluation by the Commission du Génie Biomoléculaire (CGB), a panel responsible for evaluating the public health and environment risks linked to the dissemination of GMOs. Syngenta, Pioneer, Librophyt, Biogemma, Monsanto, and BASF are the companies that received licenses. The CGB received 26,306 comments from the notoriously GMO skeptical French public during a public consultation period. None, however, caused it to reconsider the approvals.

Separately, the French agriculture ministry announced it will make two decrees in order to adopt the European directive on GMO commercial and experimental crops into French law. The Directive, regulating how GM crops can be grown and approved across the EU, was agreed to by EU members in 2001. The Directive covers seed cultivation and production, GMO imports, and processing for industrial purposes.

Deep public distrust of GMOs caused France to delay implementing the EU Directive from 2001. In December last year, the European Commission asked the European Court of Justice to fine France for its noncompliance. The fine has since grown to more than EUR42 million.

Under the new laws, farmers will be obliged to report precise details of their GMO fields, enabling France to create a national register of all GMO crops in the country.

Greenpeace finds evidence of toxicity in independent study of GE maize

The European branch of Greenpeace recently released the results of an independently commissioned study on the effects of a GM maize variety, MON863, manufactured by Monsanto.

Using the data submitted to the EU by Monsanto when applying for approval to market the GM crop in the EU, researchers from the Committee for Independent Research and Genetic Engineering at the University of Caen found significant statistical differences that Greenpeace contends are grounds for the recall of the GM plant.

The new study found that rats fed for 90 days with MON863 showed signs of toxicity in their livers and kidneys. When applying to market MON863 in the EU a similar study was conducted. The findings of that study were considered "incidental" and "not biologically relevant" to Monsanto’s application by the European Food Safety Authority.

"It appears that the statistical methods used by Monsanto were not detailed enough to see disruptions in biochemical parameters," said the authors of the new study to explain the discrepancy.

MON863 is an insect resistant GM maize, approved for use in animal feed in the EU in 2005 and for human consumption in January 2006. MON863 is also approved for use in Australia, Canada, China, the EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the US.

Greenpeace is calling for the immediate and complete recall of MON863, and urging all governments to reassess other approved GM products and testing methods.

The Greenpeace Press Release is available at http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/gp_briefing_seralini_study.pdf

Researchers develop malaria resistant mosquito

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have developed a mosquito that is genetically engineered (GE) to resist malaria infection.

The results of the study, published on 19 March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that when the GE mosquitoes fed on malaria infected mice, they had a much higher survival rate and produced more eggs than regular mosquitoes, suggesting that they could eventually replace regular mosquitoes in the wild and curb the spread of malaria.

Malaria is caused by parasites and is transmitted through the salivary glands of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria has a detrimental effect on mosquitoes, as well as those they bite.

Researchers started with a population of half GE mosquitoes and half regular mosquitoes, and after nine generations, the GE mosquitoes made up 70 percent of the test population. Jason Rasgon, one of the scientists involved in the study, warned that the research is "…not anywhere near a field case," it only proves the principle.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 1 million, and upwards of 2.7 million, people die of malaria each year; 75 percent of them are African children.

ICTSD Reporting; "South African government rejects modified maize," INDEPENDENT ONLINE, 29 March 2007; "France allow 13 GM trial for 2007; to adopt EU rules by decree by end-March," AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, 21 March 2007; "France adopts disputed EU laws on GMO crop growing," REUTERS, 21 March 2007; "Malaria-resistance mosquito developed," ASSOCIATED PRESS, 21 March 2007; "Researchers’ Malaria-Resistant Mosquitoes thrive in lab," THE JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY GAZETTE, 26 March 2007; "EU authorizes GMO rapeseed by legal rubberstamp," REUTERS, 27 March 2007; "EU set to rubberstamp GMO rapeseed, flower approval," REUTERS, 9 March 2007; "Greenpeace raises questions about Monsanto GMO corn," REUTERS, 14 March 2007; "Regulatory systems for GE crops a failure: the case of MON863," GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE, March 2007.