In
This Issue:
EU
Parliament Pledges Support for GM Technologies
The European
Parliament has declared its support for the development of biotechnology
in the European Union. The statement was drafted by British Conservative
John Purvis and approved by a majority of EU deputies attending an
assembly in Strasbourg, France.
Genetic
technologies according to the Parliament, were good for employment
and could help the environment. The statement was a morale booster
to biotechnology companies which still face an unofficial EU ban
on most of their products because of European concerns that genetically
altered plants could contain hidden health or environmental risks.
EPA
Abandons "Split Approvals"
The US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to abandon approvals
of genetically modified (GM) ingredients for use as animal feed unless
the ingredient is also approved for human consumption. 'Split approvals'
in which the ingredient is also registered for animals but not for
humans, will no longer be considered as a regulatory option.
The move
follows the Starlink contamination incident which took place in late
2000 in the USA. A transgenic corn variety, Starlink, though only
approved for use in animal feed and for industrial uses, was found
to have been used in products destined for human consumption. Several
product recalled were initiated as a result of the contamination
and the incident has affected exports of US corn.
In other
developments, the EPA has also released, for public and scientific
peer review, a draft paper examining how food affects levels of the
Starlink protein in finished food. The draft document suggests that
StarLink corn that undergoes the wet milling process contains essentially
no residues of StarLink protein in finished human food.¨
Greenpeace
Founder Signs AgBio Petition
Dr. Patrick
Moore, an ecologist and a co- founder of Greenpeace has signed the
Declaration in Support of Agricultural Biotechnology organized by
The AgBioWorld Foundation. Moore commented, "the campaign of
fear now being waged against genetic modification is based largely
on fantasy and a complete lack of respect for science and logic." Moore
has joined over 3,000 scientists from around the world in signing
the Declaration. Moore added, "In the balance it is clear that
the real benefits of genetic modification far outweigh the hypothetical
and sometimes contrived risks claimed by its detractors."
Other
signers of the Declaration of Scientists in Support of Agricultural
Biotechnology include Nobel Prize winners Norman Borlaug, James Watson,
Paul Berg, Peter Doherty, and Paul Boyer. The AgBioWorld Foundation
is a project of Professor C.S. Prakash of Tuskegee University.
ANZFA
Publishes Safety Assessments on GM Commoditries
The Australia
New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has released safety assessment
reports on food derived from four genetically modified (GM) commodities,
canola, corn, sugar beet and cotton, for public comment. This brings
to sixteen the number of genetic modifications assessed by ANZFA,
seven of which have already been approved by the Ministerial Council
for sale in Australia and New Zealand. To date, all the food commodities
assessed have been found to be as safe as their conventionally produced
counterparts, with no lessening of nutritional values.
ANZFA's
Chief Scientist, Dr. Marion Healy, said "In our safety assessments,
we look at the allergenicity, toxicity and nutritional values of
the GM foods..If we have any doubt about the safety of the foods
under scrutiny, we would recommend that they be banned from supermarket
shelves. All the GM foods we have looked at to date have all the
benefits of the conventional foods and no disadvantages." Dr.
Healy said ANZFA requires food companies to provide a comprehensive
package of scientific data on each food, according to ANZFA's specifications,
which ANZFA supplements with its own knowledge and that of expert
working groups and with reference to the world's scientific literature.
Healy added, "We have one of the most rigorous safety assessment
processes in the world for GM foods." ¨
Borlaug
Denounces Anti-biotech Stance
Nobel
Laureate Norman E. Borlaug said that attempts by various quarters
to build public opinion against biotechnology and genetically modified
products in many countries was misplaced and misconstrued. It only
reflected people's apprehension about change without knowing the
implications.
Known
as the father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug stated in a recent
press conference in India, that genetically altered crops such as
corn, soya oil, and cotton were being grown and consumed in many
countries for several years without any adverse perceptible impact.
He added, however, that he wanted the conventional methods of breeding
to go along with the deployment of biotechnological tools.
Swaminathan
Optimistic About GM Future
M.S. Swaminathan,
one of the architects of the 'green revolution' in India in the late
1960s, painted a confident picture of sustained rises in agricultural
output in the developing world, fuelled by genetically modified foods
and other new technologies.
In a lecture
at the Harvard Science Center, sponsored by the University Committee
on Environment, Swaminathan outlined what he called an "ever-green
revolution" that would produce continued productivity gains
but prevent farmers from exhausting the soil and water supply.
Environmentalists
and others have objected to a key element of Swaminathan's plan -
the use of GM foods - arguing that the ecological impact is uncertain.
Already, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil and other countries
have curbed farmers' use of these modified crops. Though Swaminathan
said no such crops have been approved for planting in India, he predicted
that GM crops would gain approval there within the next five or six
years. He predicted that they would cause crop yields to climb consistently
over the next 50 years. ¨
Indonesia's
ME Urges Caution Re GMO
Indonesian
Minister of Environment Sonny Keraf wants proof that genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) pose no harm to humans and the environment.
While totally not against biotechnology, the Minister wants Indonesia
to use caution when it comes to GMOs.
"If
it is proven that transgenic products are safe, it is good," Keraf
said. "But in the meantime we will insist on a precautionary
principle. If there are problems in the future, history will record
us as the party who did everything to protect the public."
The Minister's
view differs from that of the Ministry of Agriculture which earlier
issued a decree that has allowed the use of GMOs in the country.
The decree, issued by Agriculture Minister Bungaran Saragih allows
the limited release of transgenic cotton Bt DP 5690B in Sulawesi.
Transgenic cotton is said to yield two to three tons per hectare,
while local cotton yields only 401 kilograms per hectare.
Chinese
Government to Draft Regulations
The Chinese
government is taking a prudent attitude towards genetically modified
crops and has started drawing up regulations on the control of biological
technologies.
According
to Shi Yuanchun, vice chairman of the China Association for Science
and Technology, GM technology itself is neutral, but since GM means
the transfer of an outside gene into a living body, it does represent
a potential danger to the human being that needs to be examined and
supervised. Shi gave these views at a press conference sponsored
by the ongoing Fourth Session of the Ninth National Committee of
the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
The Chinese
government, Shi adds, has been paying great attention to the biological
safety issue, including the issue of GM food. China has drafted regulations
concerning the safety of farm products, tobacco and medicine and
has started drawing up regulations on the safety of biological technology. |
