In
This Issue:
IFT RELEASES
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON BIOTECH AND FOODS
The
Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a Chicago-based, international,
not-for-profit scientific society, has published a comprehensive
review of the scientific evidence related to biotechnology and
foods. The IFT convened a panel of experts to contribute to a meaningful
dialogue on scientific issues and consumer concerns about rDNA
biotechnology.
Regarding
food safety, the report concludes that biotechnology, if broadly
defined, has a long history of use in food production and processing.
Crops modified by modern molecular and cellular methods do not
pose risks different from earlier methods. There is no need for
a fundamental change in established principles of food safety to
evaluate GE food nor is a different standard of safety required.
While the use of newer biotechnologies broadens the scope of genetic
changes that can be made in food organisms and the scope of possible
food sources, this does not inherently lead to foods that are less
safe than those developed by conventional techniques.
On the
subject of labeling, the IFT concludes that the Federal Food, Drug
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) provides for a food labeling regulatory
regime that is intended to ensure that information about food products
is presented to consumers in a truthful, non-misleading manner.
Mandatory label disclosure requirements may not reach beyond addressing
material facts and food being rDNA biotechnology derived does not
by itself qualify.
On the
other hand, voluntary labeling has been used to establish markets
for niche categories of foods desired by consumers. Any labeling
requirement or policies to distinguish GE foods would require definitions
and monitoring tools sufficiently precise to meet the objectives
of the requirement or policy. Labeling initiatives are likely to
have substantial effects on production, distribution and cost of
food to consumers. If a voluntary labeling initiative is pursued,
broad stakeholder agreement should be achieved regarding appropriate
substantiation of claims. Terminology used in labeling should convey
information to the public in an understandable, accurate and non-misleading
manner.
As for
benefits and concerns about biotechnology-derived food production,
the IFT concludes that these foods and food products do not inherently
present any more serious environmental concerns or unintended toxic
properties than those presented by conventional breeding practices.
Appropriate testing by different stakeholders should be continued
for new foods and food products derived from all technologies,
including rDNA biotechnology. Lastly, a program should be developed
to provide the benefits of safe and economical rDNA biotechnology-derived
food products worldwide, including less developed countries.
The
report may be downloaded at http://www.ift.org/govtrelations/biotech
BIOTECH IS "POWERFUL
TOOL IN US COMMITMENT TO ENDING WORLD HUNGER"
US Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman reemphasized the Bush administration's
commitment to end hunger and said that technology will be invaluable in the
pursuit of increasing agricultural productivity, ending famine and improving
nutrition. In a statement recognizing October 16 as World Food Day, she noted
that heightened attention is being devoted to this problem, citing discussions
on hunger at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September and a
June reaffirmation of an international goal to end hunger.
"Current
and emerging technologies have the potential to increase farm yields;
improve the nutrient content of foods; deliver inexpensive, edible
vaccines; improve distribution; reduce food waste; reduce the use
of chemicals; and offer new marketing opportunities and income
sources for farmers," Veneman said. "This is the power
and promise of science and technology."
Veneman
noted that 800 million people still suffer from a lack of one of
the basic needs of life - food. "Technology is one of the
most powerful tools we have to achieve these goals. Those that
have been left behind by the great tides of human development powered
by the industrial revolution, the communications revolution and
the biological revolution, can leapfrog ahead if they have access
to the scientific and technological breakthroughs now underway."
The
Agriculture Secretary added that "hand-in-hand with scientific
research, countries must adopt policies that allow their farmers
to take advantage of new products being developed through research.
Government policies should encourage the safe use new technologies,
not cause farmers and consumers to fear it."
"The
United States is fully committed to the ambitious goal of feeding
the world's hungry - not only through aggressive relief, but also
through empowering those in need to gain access to and utilize
the wonders of modern agriculture to feed themselves", Veneman
said.
THE
LINK BETWEEN CONSERVATION TILLAGE AND CROP
BIOTECH
Conservation
tillage, as defined by the Conservation Technology Information
Center (CTIC) is "any minimal tillage system that leaves the
soil surface at least 30 percent covered by crop residue".
Farmers use various conservation tillage systems which leave different
amounts of residue and no-till is the most effective soil conservation
system. The CTIC study "Conservation Tillage and Plant Biotechnology:
How new technologies can improve the environment by reducing the
need to plow" links crop biotechnology and no-till.
The
report says, "there is a strong association between the use
of herbicide-tolerant biotech crops and recent improvements in
tillage reduction". An analysis of governmental, independent
and industry data and grower surveys shows a "strong association
between herbicide-tolerant crops and growers' decisions to increase
their level of crop residue". The following four findings
emerge:
1. Improvements
in weed control, including the adoption of biotech herbicide-tolerant
crops, are important reasons for initial adoption and continuance
of no-till.
2. The
no-till system has grown steadily since 1994 and nearly all of
this growth occurred in crops where herbicide technology is available.
3. There
is a clear association between sustainable tillage practices and
biotech crops.
4. Farmers
who do not use herbicide-tolerant seeds are not likely to engage
in conservation tillage.
In the
United States, the CTIC credits conservation tillage to reducing
soil erosion by nearly 1 billion tons of soil material per year.
For 2002, conservation tillage is estimated to save $3.5 billion
in sedimentation costs. No-till is also said to save 3.9 gallons
of fuel per acre. Conservation tillage also results in increased
diversity of insects, earthworms and microbes; improved habitat
for birds and mammals; improved aquatic habitat by preventing sediment
and nutrient loss; reduction of run-off to streams; decreased flooding
and increased soil moisture; reduced emission of greenhouse gases
while enriching the soil; and improved air quality.
The
CTIC is a national, nonprofit public-private partnership working
to promote soil and water quality and equip agriculture with affordable,
integrated management solutions. The report is available at: http://www.ctic.purdue.edu.
NZ PUBLISHES
NEW BIOTECH STRATEGY
With
the vision of responsibly applying New Zealand's "world-class
biological skills, innovation and technologies to benefit the wealth,
health and environment of New Zealanders, now and in the future" a
discussion document has been published. Entitled "New Zealand
Biotechnology Strategy", the public discussion paper provides
background and framework on the strategy.
New
Zealand has an economy strongly based on biology and its wealth
has come from applying biological knowledge to add value to agriculture
and natural products. Biotechnology has been used in New Zealand
for health care, forensic testing and environmental management.
New emerging applications include improved diagnostic medicine
and pharmaceuticals, pest control, industrial processes with reduced
waste streams and development of biodegradable products.
The
government has three goals for biotechnology to support the vision.
The first is to build understanding and positive connections between
the community and biotechnology sector. Second, to manage the development
and introduction of new biotechnologies with a regulatory system
that optimizes opportunities and innovation while safeguarding
health and environment. The last goal is to grow New Zealand's
biotechnology sector.
Individuals
and organizations are invited to make written submissions on the
discussion paper on or before November 30, 2002. Copies of the
discussion document are available at http://www.morst.govt.nz/Biotech/20926%20Morst%20B%20Strategy%20Fin.pdf
ISNAR RELEASES
BRIEF ON BIOTECH AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
The
International Service for National Agricultural Research in the
Hague, Netherlands has made available its Briefing Paper 54 entitled "Biotechnology
and sustainable livelihoods- findings and recommendations of an
international consultation". This Briefing Paper introduces
a Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, and proposes to apply this
framework to products derived from biotechnology in order to quantify
and qualify the impact of biotechnologies in developing countries.
According
to the authors J. Falck-Zepeda, J. Cohen, R. Meinzen-Dick and J.
Komen, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach is a comprehensive
framework that both requires and facilitates multidisciplinary
work to assess the impact of interventions in poor communities
in developing countries.
The
framework is a result of an ISNAR consultation in June 2001 for
research scientists, centers of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and donor and development agencies.
The group analyzed various approaches and discussed case studies
regarding the socioeconomic impact of biotechnology on the poor
in developing countries. Participants also defined selection criteria
to identify future case studies examining the impacts of biotechnology
on the livelihood of poor producers in developing countries.
These
contributions became part of the proposed project "Biotechnology
and Sustainable Livelihoods-Examining Risks and Benefits," which
will be implemented jointly by ISNAR, the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI), and other cooperating international
and national organizations. The purpose of the project is to quantify
and qualify the actual or potential impact of agricultural biotechnology
on the livelihood of rural farmers in developing countries, to
improve the institutional capacity in developing countries to conduct
this kind of research, and to generate first-hand information from
selected study sites.
For
a copy of the Brief visit http://www.isnar.cgiar.org/publications/briefing/bp54.htm
SOUTH AFRICA
REEXAMINES GM LAWS
The South African Parliament's environment committee has argued that the country's
genetically modified (GM) laws need to be reevaluated to ensure they are appropriate.
The legislation was originally proposed in 1987, and adopted in 1997.
Gwen
Mahlangu, chair of the committee said that the current legislation
had been enacted too soon after the country's 1994 elections. The
committee was also responding to non government organization position
statements implying environmental and health risks could follow
from using GM. Mahlangu proposed a workshop next month to look
at the issues again involving the agriculture, environmental affairs,
health, trade and industry and science and technology ministries.
South
Africa is the only country in the Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC) to allow GM crops to be grown. Between 10-15% of maize grown
in South Africa is genetically modified, and Syngenta has applied
to the government to commercialize a new strain. Bt cotton has
proved very popular with both large-scale and small-scale farmers.
Shadrack
Moephuli, head of South Africa`s Directorate of Genetic Resources,
says South Africa is the only country within SADC with an adequate
regulatory process to assess the safety of GM foods.
FAO RELEASES
BIOTECH DOCUMENTS
The
Food and Agriculture Organization has released three reports on
biotechnology- related topics. One is the final report of the expert
consultation meeting on "Public agricultural research: the
impact of intellectual property rights on biotechnology in developing
countries", held on 24-27 June 2002 in Rome, Italy. The 8-page
report includes sections on 1) identification of constraints, needs
and opportunities within public sector research institutions; 2)
policy issues at institutional, national and international levels;
and 3) identifying strategies to strengthen public sector biotechnology
research for ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. It
then concludes with six main recommendations. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/docs/torvergatareport.htm or
contact nuria.urquia@fao.org to
request a copy.
The
second report is an output of the 9th Regular Session of FAO's
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA),
held at FAO Headquarters in Rome on October 14-18,2000. The document
entitled "Potential impacts of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies
(GURTs) on agricultural biodiversity and agricultural production
systems: Technical study" focuses on GURTs within cropping
systems, with reference to aquatic ecosystems, trees and livestock
where possible. Download material at ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/cgrfa9/r9w17ae.pdf (243
KB).
Also
during the same session, the Commission considered a report on "The
status of the draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology as it relates
to genetic resources for food and agriculture: report on surveys
of FAO Members and stakeholders". The report presents the
result of surveys conducted in 2000, among FAO Members and a wide
range of relevant stakeholders throughout the world, inviting them
to provide comments or advice on the existing preliminary draft
Code of Conduct on Biotechnology. See document 9/02/18 at http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/docs9.htm
The
FAO Working Group on Biotechnology is likewise developing a database,
called FAO-BioDec, containing information on the development, adoption
and application of crop biotechnologies in developing countries.
It currently contains over 1700 entries, classified by region,
country, species, products/technologies (e.g. micropropagation,
GMOs, genome sequencing), trait/technique (and sub-trait/sub-technique)
and status of application (experimental phase, field trial or commercialisation).
Public release is planned towards the end of 2002. FAO is now looking
for volunteers with access to the web to test and provide comments
on this pre-release version. If interested, please contact zephaniah.dhlamini@fao.org.
Meanwhile,
FAO announces its next e-mail conference on "What should be
the role and focus of biotechnology in the agricultural research
agendas of developing countries ?". The conference begins
in early November, lasting for four weeks, and will be moderated.
The outcome of the conference will be used for the upcoming FAO
publication, The State of Food and Agriculture 2003. A Background
Document will be provided to Forum Members before the conference.
All messages posted during the conference will be placed on the
Forum website (http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp).
To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send
an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank
and entering only the following two-line text message:
subscribe BIOTECH-L
subscribe biotech-room4
Forum
members wishing to register for the conference should leave out
the first line of the above message. For more information, contact biotech-mod4@fao.org
ICSU SETS
UP 'SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT' PROGRAMME
At its recent General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, members of the International
Council for Science (ICSU) gave the Executive Board a clear mandate to set
an international research agenda for the future that focuses on science for
sustainable development.
Jane
Lubchenco, ICSU's new president said that "Our top priority
is to take an integrated approach to addressing the economic, environmental
and social pillars of sustainable development."
In order
to achieve this, Lubchenco says ICSU must focus future research
efforts on the local level and then take on the challenge of linking
local research to regional and global issues. As the lead organizer
of the science and technology community for WSSD in Johannesburg,
ICSU has already made a strong commitment to the UN regarding science
for sustainable development. Because of its broad membership, the
Council is well positioned to create multidisciplinary teams that
can plan for a new international effort.
In addition,
ICSU has taken a strong stand in support of strengthening links
between modern science and traditional knowledge. This commitment
will encourage dialogue between the scientific community and local
peoples. This will facilitate the development, application and
adaptation of new information and technologies to address local
issues in areas such as agriculture, biodiversity and traditional
medicine.
ICSU
will establish regional offices in Asia, Africa, Latin American
and the Caribbean, and the Arab Region. These offices will support
the work of ICSU members and partner organizations by strengthening
regional collaboration and ensuring that scientists from the regions
are fully involved in the many international science efforts.
For
more information, send an email to: secretariat@icsu.org
WEBSITE RESOURCES
ON BIOTECH
SciDev.Net,
an organization devoted to providing news and promoting debate
on science and technology issues relevant to the needs of developing
countries, has launched a new dossier on genetically modified (GM)
crops, which can be found at http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/gmcrops.
SciDev.Net dossiers are in-depth guides to key topics at the interface
between science and development.
The
GM crops dossier addresses some of the key issues relating to the
potential contribution of GM technology to agriculture and food
security in developing countries, as well as the potential risks
involved. It does so by presenting the experiences and perspectives
of those working in the field - through analytical policy briefs
and topical opinion articles - as well as providing annotated links
to other relevant websites, and access to electronic versions of
key reports and documents.
The
World Health Organization has posted 20 "questions and answers" on
their website. This is in response to questions and concerns by
WHO Member State Governments with regard to the nature and safety
of genetically modified food". The 8-page PDF document is
available at http://www.who.int/fsf (in
english, french and Spanish) or contact foodsafety@who.int to request
a copy.
Download
a 50-slide overview describing the benefits of plant biotechnology
at http://www.whybiotech.com/index.asp?id=1588.
The PowerPoint presentation explains what plant biotechnology is
and the benefits it provides.
Meanwhile,
other PowerPoint presentations on GM technology can be obtained
by emailing gmcrops@lamar.colostate.edu. Email attachments of the
following files can be sent to interested individuals:
- The
Basics of Transgenic Technology
- How
Safe Are Transgenic Crops? Regulatory Systems
- Transgenic
Crops: Risks, Concerns, and Benefits
- Transgenic
Technology: Ethics and Controversy
- Laboratory
Methods of Transforming Plants and Detecting Transgenes
- Labeling
of Genetically Engineered Foods
CONFERENCE ANOUNCEMENTS
"Plant
Biotechnology Symposium: Perspective from Developing Countries:
Towards a Global Strategy, Partnership and Action Plan for Food
Security and Poverty Alleviation", in Indianapolis, US on
November12-14, 2002.
The
Symposium aims to "provide opportunities for technical and
policy experts to explore a global strategy and action plan to
harness biotechnology to improve food security and alleviate poverty
through multi-stakeholder cooperation". Contact hoan.le@fao.org or wparrott@arches.uga.edu for
more details.
G-77
High-Level Conference on Science and Technology, 27-30 October
2002 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event is being convened
by the Group of 77 "in order to bring together representatives
from government, the scientific community, civil society, the business
sector and other stakeholder groups to formulate a South-South
strategy for the execution of initiatives in the field of science
and technology". The conference programme includes a workshop
on biotechnology. See http://www.g77.org/sshlcst/introduction_menu.html or
contact g77off@unmail.org for
more details. |
