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| 30 November 2007 | | Proof of Golden Rice's efficiency | | For years, the genetically modified "Golden Rice" was criticized by opponents of agricultural biotechnology as a Trojan horse. The provitamin A-enriched Golden Rice was claimed to reflect the lucent strategy of the industry to introduce genetically engineered food under the cloak of an unselfish product developed for the benefit of the poor. Critics disputed the potential of Golden Rice to fight the widespread vitamin A deficiency in developing countries, arguing that one would have to eat several kilograms of rice per day to achieve any positive effect. However, recent pre-studies now tell a different story.
In a complex experiment, scientists at Tufts University in Boston measured exactly how much provitamin A the human digestive tract absorbs from grains of Golden Rice. For these purposes, small amounts of isotope-marked varieties of Golden Rice were bred in Texas. This way, the scientists were able to observe the dispositions of beta-carotene and its conversion in the human body. The study was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), a part of the US Department of Health. The results outranged the boldest hope of Ingo Potrykus who, together with Peter Beyer from the University of Freiburg, Germany, developed the Golden Rice approximately ten years ago at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. At such an early stage of the study, Potrykus does not wish to publicise details of the findings. However, it already appear to be clear that an average daily intake of 200 to 300 grams of Golden Rice will suffice to protect an individual from vitamin A deficiency. To date, the lack of beta-carotene in food causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the developing world each year. Without a sufficient supply of provitamin A, young children especially suffer from a general weakness of their immune system or even from blindness. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 250 million children of pre-school age are afflicted with a deficit in vitamin A. Between 250,000 and 500,000 of these children lose their sight per year.
Another study, in this case with 50 vitamin A-deficient children, will be conducted next year to verify the findings to date. The outcome is to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Plant breeders already have started to cross the Golden Rice properties into rice varieties that are common in India, Vietnam and the Philippines. With proven benefits for the consumer, the approval of this rice as a safe genetically modified organism in these countries seems closer.
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| 29 November 2007 | | EFB urges Commissioner Dimas to follow scientific advice | | The intent of Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for the Environment, to reject two Bt maize submissions has raised concerns by European scientists, institutes and the industry alike. Today, the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) handed Commissioner Dimas an Open Letter in which he was warned against discrediting the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). As the scientific body responsible for the safety assessment of genetically modified organisms within the European Union, EFSA concluded in 2005 that there is no evidence the maize lines in question (Bt11 and 1507) have an adverse effect on human and animal health or the environment. Nonetheless, Commissioner Dimas proposes not to approve the applications for cultivation of Bt11 and 1507, citing the precautionary principle. From his point of view, uncertainties remain concerning the two maize lines in regard to their on the environment in the long term as well as their effect on non-target organisms.
The European Federation of Biotechnology accuses Dimas of renouncing a sound scientific basis with his proposals. According to the EFB, a total of 63 peer-reviewed publications attest that Bt toxin does not accumulate in the soil and does not affect aerial and soil-based non-target organisms. The Federation disputes that the critical publications cited by Dimas will endure a peer review. Therefore, it urges the Commissioner to return to reasoning based on science and experience. The consequences of approving the draft decisions and of the precedents they would set would be the marginalisation of science in Europe. Further consequences include the discreditation of the EFSA and – by upholding a de-facto import ban on feed maize from GM maize-producing countries – the collapse of the EU livestock industry.
The Open Letter is only the latest part in a discussion of the EU approval process that was opened at the beginning of this week by Horst Seehofer, the German Minister of Agriculture. On the sidelines of a meeting of the Agricultural Council, Seehofer asked for a preliminary stop of any authorization until a thorough review of the decision process has taken place. He suggested that future decisions be made solely on the basis of scientific evidence. Seehofer expresses the wish to end the current deadlock within the Council and political approval decisions in the Commission. His colleagues from France and Austria supported a temporary moratorium. By contrast, the Dutch minister Gerda Verburg appealed to the Commission and other member states to accept the scientific advice of EFSA and to proceed with the careful authorization of genetically modified maize and soybeans. Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, also cautioned against suspending the authorizations. Fischer Boel suspects rising feed costs for the European livestock industry if the import of maize and maize gluten be restricted even more than already is the case.
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| 28 November 2007 | | Monitoring for StarLink corn to end | | The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to cease the monitoring for residues of StarLink corn. Judging from more than 4 million tests on StarLink without a single verified positive outcome in three years, the EPA has concluded that continued testing of corn grain provides no additional protection to human health.
Monitoring for the Cry9C protein of StarLink started in 2000 when illegal residues of the corn variety were found in a wide range of food products including taco shells in the United States. The registration of StarLink at this time covered only domestic animal feed or industrial uses. After the detection of residues, the licensee requested the cancellation of the application, which was accepted by the EPA. Since then, no StarLink has been planted in the USA.
The levels of detection decreased to the point at which new detections are virtually non-existent. As early as 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had invested considerable effort to identify individuals who alleged allergic reactions to the Cry9C protein. The agencies investigated these claims and the information collected failed to verify any instance of an allergic reaction to Cry9C. Since 2001, no incidents reliably connecting allergic reactions and exposure to Cry9C have been reported.
In light of these results as well as of the extremely low potential exposure of the US population to the Cry9C protein in the current food supply, EPA supports a proposal by the FDA to end the testing of shipments of yellow corn for the presence of StarLink. Public comments on this proposal will be accepted by the end of November.
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| 19 November 2007 | | Food surveillance: a quarter of soya products contain traces of GMOs | Germany: The consumer will find only very few products on the German market that are subject to GM labelling requirements. In soya products, on the other hand, minimal traces of genetically modified organisms often may be detected. In 2006, roughly one quarter of soya-based foodstuffs were found to be “GM-positive” as shown by the results of tests performed by food inspection authorities in the federal states.
Each year, several thousands of food products are proofed. Tests are carried out to determine whether a portion of GMOs – mostly soya or maize – is present in the product. Although results vary from state to state and from year to year, the general trend is unequivocal: the regulations on GM labelling largely are being respected. The number of violations remains low and, in the past few years, has shown a trend towards decline.
Cases in which GMO has been detected above the labelling threshold of 0.9 per cent most often are found among imported products containing soya. Lacking the required labelling, such products are removed from the market.
Minimal traces of GMO were detectable in an average of 15 to 25 per cent of tested foodstuffs containing soya. Test values remained below the threshold value and often approximated the detection limit of 0.1 per cent. While the proportion of GM-positive probes in soya products displays a rising tendency, their proportion in maize products is falling. In 2006, only five per cent of maize products were affected. |
| 01 November 2007 | | EU: Cultivation of Bt maize almost doubled | | In 2007, the 110,000 hectares of genetically modified Bt maize cultivated in the EU represents a near-doubling of the 62,000 hectares grown in the previous year. With 75,000 hectares, Spain is at the forefront in regard to cultivation area and is followed by France (21,174 ha), the Czech Republic (5,000 ha), Portugal (4,500 ha), Germany (2,685 ha) and Slovakia (900 ha). Smaller areas may be found in Poland (320 ha) and Romania (350 ha).
While all countries in which Bt maize already was grown in 2006 experienced significant increases in 2007, the increase in France is particularly noticeable as the cultivation area of Bt maize almost quadrupled. As also is the case in Germany, all cultivation sites of GM maize in France must be entered in a location register. The cultivation statistics were gathered by EuropaBio, the European Association of Biotechnology Companies. With the exception of Poland and Romania, all counts were confirmed by the applicable governments.
Currently, Bt maize MON810 is the only GM plant that is approved for cultivation in the EU. However, approximately 100,000 hectares of GM soybeans were cultivated until 2006 in Romania. Since the cultivation of this plant is not permitted to date in the EU, cultivation of GM soybeans was suspended upon Romania’s entry to the Union. The EU Commission now is preparing decisions on cultivation approval for several GM plants. |
| 01 November 2007 | | Difficult decision for the EU Commission: punitive damages or lift national bans of GM maize | | For the first time, the EU Commission may enforce cancellation of a nationally-applied prohibition of genetically modified maize. With a majority vote in their Council meeting in Luxemburg, EU Environmental Ministers declined the recommendation of the Commission to lift the Austrian national import ban on products of the two GM maize lines MON810 and T25. However, since the required qualified majority of representative Council members indeed had not been achieved, the Commission may enforce its decision – as is determined for such cases under the conditions of the EU Treaty.
Due to the Austrian ban, the EU currently is threatened with sanctions by the World Trade Organisation, WTO. According to the judgement of the WTO arbitration court, the EU must remove such WTO-unconformable trade restrictions on 21st November 2007 at the latest for GMO products that have been classified as safe. Otherwise, significant punitive damages may be due as early as January.
If the EU Commission accepts and implements the WTO judgement, it will be forced to act against the majority of Member States. In the Council of Ministers, fourteen EU countries – including Germany – had voted for the retention of the Austrian import ban. The EU Commission has attempted repeatedly to nullify national prohibitions of GMO but never has achieved the necessary qualified majority of Member States. In the current case, the Commission conducted a vote only on the import ban applied to the two maize lines and did not address their existing cultivation ban.
According to EU legislation, GMO products that are recognised as safe and approved within the entire Union may be prohibited only when such a ban is justified scientifically. Applicable justification is assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). All national bans on MON810 and T25 maize have been declared by the Authority to be unjustified. |
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October 2007
