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News Messages |
| 28 August 2006 | | Detection method available for GM rice LL601 | Since Monday this week, food surveillance authorities in EU member states can test imports of long-grain rice for contamination with the unauthorised GM rice LL601. After traces of the GM rice were found in conventional rice in the USA, a detection tool was developed jointly by BayerCropScience USA - the producer of LL601 - and US authorities.
After notification by US authorities of the contamination, Japan and the EU restricted the import of US long-grain rice and, since then, only accept charges certified to be free of rice LL601 – measures which, since no detection method was available, amounted initially to a de facto ban. Rice imports from the USA now may be resumed.
Also on Monday, rice growers from several US states filed a suit against BayerCropScience for failing to prevent unauthorised GM rice from reaching the food chain. They say that this has led to import restrictions in the EU and Japan and to a dramatic fall in the price of US rice. The case has been filed at the county court in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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| 23 August 2006 | | EU restricts import of US rice after contamination with GM rice | In the USA, traces of non-approved genetically modified rice have been found. The GM rice, called LL601, has been genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides containing the active ingredient glufosinate. After notification by US authorities of the unauthorised presence of the GM rice on 18 August, the EU decided to restrict imports on 23 August.
In a press release published today, the EU states: „The emergency measures adopted by the Commission today mean that, with immediate effect, only consignments of US long grain rice that have been tested by an accredited laboratory using a validated testing method and accompanied by a certificate assuring the absence of LL Rice 601, can enter the EU.“ Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, said: „The measures we have taken today will ensure that unauthorised GM rice is not inadvertently imported. EU consumers can rely on the high level of protection that our GM rules afford them."
The GM rice LL601 was developed during the 1990s by precursors of today's agro-company BayerCropScience. Two of these lines, GM rice LL62 and LL06, were approved in the USA in 2000. In the EU, the application for the use of LL62 in foods has been filed; however, rice LL62 is not yet being commercially cultivated.
The rice LL601 was detected in a container of conventional long grain rice destined for human consumption. How the contamination happened is still unclear, since the last field trials with this GM rice were conducted in the USA in 2001. The traces were found in connection with the development of detection methods for the rice LL62. Further analyses will show the extent of the contamination, as well as whether the GM rice already has entered European food chains.
Based on the available scientific data, the FDA and USDA (US) rule out any risk to humans, animals, or the environment, and argue that the rice LL601 contains the same gene as the approved rice LL62, which successfully has passed its safety assessment. |
| 21 August 2006 | | First GM wines to hit US markets this year | The US wine industry has developed a strain of yeast to eliminate certain chemicals which, in red wine, are believed to trigger headaches and migraines in some people. Researchers inserted two genes into the yeast, ML01, for this purpose. According to American Tartaric Products Inc., the Californian distributor of this yeast, the first wines using this technology will enter US markets already this year. US consumers, however, probably will not recognise these brands since US legislation, in contrast to EU regulations, does not require labelling.
Experts say that the genetic modification also alters the taste of the wines. In the EU, neither genetically modified grapes, nor wines produced with the help of genetically modified yeasts, are on the market. French winemakers, however, already use enzymes to increase the yield of juice and to extract certain components such as tannins, aromas, and dyes. Some of these enzymes can be produced by biotechnological methods.
Some European winemakers also are interested in the potential of gene technology for producing wines; however, many remain sceptical. They believe instead that genetic engineering and the artisan reputation of wine production do not fit well together. Australia's wine industry – a key international competitor of California’s industry – assumed an official position against the use of the new genetically modified yeast.
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| 07 August 2006 | | First-time approval of pharmaceuticals from transgenic animals - GTC Biotherapeutics announces approval of ATryn | | For the first time, the European Commission has given market approval for a pharmaceutical product derived from genetically modified animals. It is called ATryn, is extracted from the milk of genetically modified goats, and is produced by the company GTC Biotherapeutics. This drug is administered to patients suffering from an inherited deficiency of antithrombin, which prevents thromboses caused by surgery. The approval is based on an extensive evaluation of the application, as well as on the positive assessment of the drug by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Worldwide, ATryn is the first protein produced in transgenic animals to be used pharmaceutically. The market launch is scheduled for summer 2007 in all EU member-states.
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| 04 August 2006 | | GMO Battle in France Heats Up | Anti-GMO activists have stepped up attacks on GMO plantings in France, now for the first time extending action to commercial GM fields. Previously, only non-commercial field trials had been targeted for destruction. This comes at a time when the French courts seem to have run out of sympathy for the campaigners’ civil disobedience.
The latest incident involved activists numbering in the hundreds who destroyed a six hectare area of GM maize on a farm near Toulouse on Sunday. Five suspects were held on Monday for questioning. The action was lead by anti-GMO and anti-globalisation activist José Bové, famous for orchestrating field destructions across France and for destroying a McDonald’s franchise in 2003. Other incidents over the weekend meant that two out of every five field trials across the country have been destroyed by activists in the past two months.
French Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau denounced the acts as, "vandalism contrary to the rule of law and the respect of private property." The French maize growers’ association AGPM called the weekend attacks intolerable and insisted such extremism would not be tolerated. Approximately 300 farmers protested Tuesday in southwest France in defence of the farmer targeted by the activists.
France’s courts have begun to take action to protect farmers who choose to grow GM crops. A decision last year by French courts to excuse 49 activists associated with the destruction of GM crops belonging to Monsanto was overturned by an appeals court in Orleans this June. Monsanto is seeking compensation for damages totalling $390,000. Shortly thereafter, French courts demanded that Greenpeace remove a map detailing the locations of all commercial Bt maize plantings in France.
Commercial Bt maize production in France this year jumped to 5,000 hectares from only 500 hectares last year. With the economic success the biotech maize has brought with it, more farmers are expected to adopt the technology for the next growing season. |
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July 2006
