In This
Issue:
TRADE
ISSUES LOOM IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
The
adoption of biotechnology and the introduction of genetically modified
foods into the international marketplace has intensified issues
related to trade policy. Diverging national regulations are impeding
trade as a result of production and trade distortions. So says
Peter Phillips, a professor of agricultural economics at the University
of Saskatchewan in Canada.
In a
policy brief entitled "Policy, National Regulation, and International
Standards for GM Foods," Phillips notes that overcoming these
distortions is aggravated by the fact that the World Trade Organization
agreement on agriculture has not yet been fully implemented.
Phillips
predicts that a "messy trade world is likely to continue".
He concludes that the private sector may need to change how it
introduces and markets the new products of biotechnology in order
to maintain market access.
The
policy brief is included in Research at a Glance: Biotechnology
and Genetic Resource Policies published by the International Food
Policy Research Institute.
A pdf
version can be downloaded at http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/rag/br1001.pdf
SWAMINATHAN CALLS
FOR AG-BIOTECH POLICY
Dr.
M.S. Swaminathan, chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation,
says that India needs to formulate a comprehensive national agricultural
biotechnology policy to streamline the use of genetic engineering
in improving the quality and quantity of food grains and crops.
A meeting
at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation ended with a declaration
calling for a National Food and Agriculture Biotechnology Policy
for India. "India will experience serious genetic divide if
we do not have a well defined and forward looking national policy
in the field of food and agricultural biotechnology," says
the Chennai Declaration.
The
Declaration calls for an autonomous and professional Biotechnology
Regulatory and Advancement Commission, with the following functions:
- Create
the expertise and infrastructure needed to undertake a critical
and transparent scientific assessment of the food and environmental
safety of GM crops.
- Coordinate
the work of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment
and Science and Technology (DBT) in the area of biosafety assessment.
- Provide
guidelines for research collaboration between public and private
sectors in areas such as functional genomics, proteomics and
bioinformatics as well for priorities in public investment, as
for example research on drought tolerance, water use efficiency
and salinity assistance.
- Assist
in fostering linkages among biodiversity-biotechnology-biosafety
management.
- Monitor
the role of the biotechnology industry in assisting the effective
implementation of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers'
Rights Act and the Biodiversity Act.
- Help
to upgrade patent offices and develop expertise in dealing with
issues connected with the Trade Related Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS) regime of WTO.
- Promote
regional and international biosafety collaboration, particularly
among ASEAN countries.
- Serve
as a single window regulatory and monitoring agency and develop
and introduce a time bound regulatory process.
- Help
to create public awareness and understanding on issues relating
to biosafety and biotechnology in local languages and vernacular
media.
The
Declaration also seeks a National Research Centre for the Safe
and Responsible Use of Genetically Modified Crops. The Center could
provide the scientific and technical support needed by the proposed
National Biotechnology Regulatory and Advancement Commission.
"The
center should maintain a global database on biosafety assessment
procedures and legislation. It should undertake training, capacity
building and networking in the field of biosafety evaluation. Ultimately,
considerations of human health and environmental safety should
be the bottom line in risk assessment," says the Declaration.
For
more information, contact M.S. Swaminathan at his email address: msswami@mssrf.res.in
GM SUGARBEET CAN SUPPORT
MORE WILDLIFE
Creative
use of GM crops could bring back increasing numbers of endangered
wildlife and birds such as skylarks and finches, according to scientists
from Broom's Barn Research Station in Suffolk, UK. Careful management
of spraying could allow growth of the weeds that birds and insects
need without impacting yield.
The
study, published in the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions
B suggests that GM herbicide tolerant crops could be a powerful
tool in developing sustainable farming systems in the future.
The
research is based on a new weed-management system for GM sugarbeet,
demonstrating that weeds can be retained for a longer time without
affecting the crop yield. The weeds and associated insects provide
vital food and habitats for the farmland birds and other wildlife,
which have dramatically declined as a result of intensive farming
systems.
"We
are excited about our results because this is the first time research
has shown that GM herbicide tolerant crops can be managed for environmental
benefit. This marks a vital contribution to the GM debate, which
until now, has been largely focused on fears of possible negative
impact. The environmental benefits are particularly important for
the UK and the rest of Europe, where around 80% cent of the land
is farmed," says researcher Mike May of Broom Barn.
For
more details, contact Mike May at his email address: mike.may@bbsrc.ac.uk
Meanwhile,
the Danish National Environment Research Institute reports similar
findings for fodder beet. In a study entitled "Biodiversity
in glyphosate tolerant fodder beet fields: Timing of herbicide
application", Beate Strandberg and Marianne Bruus Pedersen
say that when Roundup Ready fodder beet was sprayed as late as
possible, they found significant improvements of weed flora and
arthropod fauna during June and early July compared to conventionally
treated plots.
"The
higher arthropod abundance and diversity especially in plots sprayed
late with Roundup Ready compared to conventionally treated plots
are likely to benefit arable birds, provided that the positive
effect is not counteracted by insecticide treatments," they
explained.
For
a pdf version of the report, visit http://www.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Publikationer/3_fagrapporter/
rapporter/FR410.pdf
NEW GM CORN TO BOOST
US PLANTING
US farmers
may soon plant a new GM corn that produces its own Bt to kill corn
rootworms. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing
Monsanto's application for approval to commercialize its YieldGard
Rootworm corn.
If approved
for planting in spring, GM corn acreage will be the biggest so
far in biotech crop plantings in the US. In 2001, US biotech corn
area accounted for about a quarter of the land planted to corn.
Corn
rootworm is the first pest to evolve a way to defeat crop rotations.
The rootworms either rotate the field where they laid eggs or extend
their egg-hatching time to match crop rotations. Rootworms are
important corn pest, costing US farmers hundreds of millions of
dollars in pesticide use and yield losses.
Scientists
from USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working with
Monsanto to slow down development of resistance of corn rootworms
to Bt. A seed-mix concept is being tested, wherein conventional
corn seed will be mixed with the GM corn seed. In the field, plants
that grow from conventional corn seeds in the mix serve as refuge
for some rootworm beetles.
In a
5-year cooperative research, ARS scientists have found the seed
mix offered better alternative in controlling corn rootworms than
conventional insecticide. They found that seed mixtures with no
more than 10 to 20% conventional corn seeds offered superior corn
rootworms control. The seed-mix approach may also provide an effective
strategy to slow down the development of resistance to Bt.
ARS
scientists are also investigating on the potential impact of the
new Bt corn on beneficial bugs such as ground beetles.
Full
details of the ARS research can be viewed at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan03/
corn0103.htm
STRAWBERRY GENE BOOSTS
VITAMIN C
Scientists
in Spain have identified a gene from strawberry responsible for
the synthesis of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), opening the path to
new types of foods and plants with boosted levels of the vitamin.
Victoriano
Valpuesta and colleagues at the University of Malaga and collaborators
at Universidad de Córdoba describe the isolation of the
GalUR gene, encoding an enzyme that plays a role in the conversion
of d-galacturonic acid to ascorbic acid in strawberry fruit. Overexpression
of the enzyme's gene in Arabidopsis thaliana enhances vitamin C
content two- to threefold. This demonstrates the feasibility of
engineering increased vitamin C levels in plants using this enzyme.
Identification
of genes involved in ascorbic acid synthesis and accumulation could
provide tools for increasing vitamin C content of food crops. Manipulation
of these genes could also contribute to the understanding of ascorbic
acid's function in plant stress resistance. Microbes and bugs might
likewise be engineered with the enzyme allowing ascorbic acid biosynthesis
and providing an alternative basis for the manufacture of vitamin
C.
The
paper, "Engineering increased vitamin C levels in plants by
overexpression of a d-galacturonic acid reductase", by Fernanda
Agius, Rocío González-Lamothe, José L. Caballero,
Juan Muñoz-Blanco, Miguel A. Botella and Victoriano Valpuesta
appears in the February issue of Nature Biotechnology.
For
more information, email Victoriano Valpuesta, Departamento de Biologia
Molecular y Bioquimica, Universidad de Malaga, Spain at valpuesta@uma.es
CROP HERBICIDE LOSING
WEED RESISTANCE?
Some
crop scientists in the US, according to the New York Times are
expressing concern that the heavy use of Monsanto Roundup Ready
biotech soybean and corn seeds is increasing the development of
resistant weeds.
The
same article says that the popularity of the crops has caused the
use of the Roundup herbicide to skyrocket, setting up "survival
of the fittest" conditions in which the rare weeds that survive
the herbicide can flourish. Eventually, experts say, farmers will
need to reduce their applications on the genetically engineered
soybeans and other crops to preserve the long-term usefulness.
Monsanto,
however, says that "the instances of resistance are extremely
low". Janice Armstrong, Monsanto spokeswoman, says the company
has a program to track reports of weed resistance to its glyphosate-based
Roundup, which is one of the most widely used weed killers in the
U.S. It recommends that growers who do identify weed resistance
in their fields use a different weed killer to knock out the resistant
weeds.
The
company acknowledged that reports of resistance increased last
year, and has acted "proactively" to address farmers'
problems. Armstrong said glyphosates have been used for nearly
three decades but only four types of weeds have developed resistance
to it. She said a different type of herbicide commonly used for
corn fields with a triazine base has seen dozens of different weeds
develop resistance.
AFRICA SHOULD EMBRACE
BIOTECH, SAYS USDA OFFICIAL
"For
the sake of generations to come, Africa should embrace biotechnology," says
US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jim Moseley. Biotechnology is
one of the world's "brightest hopes" for addressing hunger,
malnutrition, water scarcity and environmental degradation, he
says.
Addressing
a conference of U.S. cotton producers in Nashville, Tennessee,
Moseley added that the famine in southern Africa, where some nations
have refused US food aid because it may contain grain derived from
biotechnology, is at a "flash point."
Noting
that some African nations fear that the European Community would
cut off purchases from Africa if the countries grow biotech crops,
Moseley said, "We cannot let irrational public opposition
in Europe prevent the rest of the world from accessing this technology."
"We
must hold firm in our position that biotechnology remains one of
our best tools and brightest hopes for addressing numerous global
concerns, including hunger, malnutrition, water scarcity and environmental
degradation. To take any other direction or hold any other position
is irresponsible to the generation yet to arrive on this Mother
Earth," Moseley added.
HEALTH BENEFITS FROM
GM CROPS HIGLIGHTED
Health
benefits can be obtained from genetically modified crops. Benefits
can be in the form of these crops acting as "pharmaceutical
factories." Vaccines can be incorporated within these crops
to improve one's diet, or they can be used to create new vaccines
to combat diseases. This statement was made by Colin Berry, emeritus
professor of pathology at Queen Mary's Hospital during his lecture
at the Scientific Alliance conference in London.
Berry
stated that "there is clear evidence that when crops are genetically
modified to be more resistant to pests, the health of farmers improve
since they are less exposed to manufactured pesticides." There
is also an increase in profits due to the reduction in the costs
allotted to pesticides. With the lower costs, the farmers' livelihood
and health are improved.
Another
point reiterated by Berry was that educational benefits could also
be realized within subsistence agricultural communities. Before
the introduction of genetically modified crops, women and children
worked in the fields. Now, due to time saved, the women in these
communities have the option to send their children to school.
For
more details of Berry's lecture, visit http://argument.independent.co.uk/podium/story.jsp
?story=368078
PARAGUAY FARMERS PREFER
GM SOYBEAN SEEDS
Grupo
Espirito Santo (GES), a top agribusiness company in Paraguay, has
opted to stop producing conventional seeds this year. This decision,
according to Reuters, was prompted by the local farmers' preference
for genetically modified soybean seeds since production costs,
due to herbicides, are reduced by an estimated $20 to $40 per ton.
Paraguay
is Latin America's No. 3 soybean exporter. Nearly 75 percent of
the crop is exported via Brazil and Argentina. Favorable world
prices prompted an increase in planting from 3,000 ha in 2002 to
3,500 hectares. Paraguay's soybean production is expected to rise
to 3.6 million tons in 2003 from 3.1 million tons in 2002.
Reuters
claims that fields planted to the illegal GM soybean seeds are
increasing. GM seeds are smuggled across the border from neighboring
Argentina, where they are allowed.
The
full story is available at http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/19399/story.htm
GMO BIOSAFETY RESEARCH
IN CHINA
China
is looking for international collaborations to assist it in gathering
baseline information about the ecological impact of conventional
agricultural practices as well as sufficient data to allow effective
comparison between transgenic crop varieties and its conventional
counterparts.
Shirong
Jia and Yufa Peng of the Biotechnology Research Institute, and
Center for Biosafety Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences in Beijing, China, say that monitoring of long-term ecological
effects of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is crucial in
the light of rapid research developments. They share these thoughts
on GMO biosafety research in China in the initial issue of Environmental
Biosafety Research (1 (2002) 5-8) of the International Society
for Biosafety Research.
The
researchers note that China's Ministry of Agriculture has already
approved 501 cases of GMOs for field trials or commercialization
from a total of 695 applications for GMO biosafety evaluation since
1997. Commercial approval has been granted to 59 applications that
include insect resistant cotton, shelf-life altered tomato, virus
resistant tomato, virus resistant sweet pepper, color-altered petunia,
nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and vaccines for animal use.
The
full paper is available in pdf version at http://www.edpsciences.org/journal/index.cfm?
edpsname=ebr#
CENTER TO STUDY GENOMICS
IMPACT
Innogen,
a new center devoted to allow experts in science, technology, economics,
and law to study the impact of genomics on society, has just been
set up. The Center is linked to the Open University of the University
of Edinburgh in the UK.
According
to Biotech Scotland, the center will "examine the consequences
of genomics on health, welfare, prosperity and the environment.
It will draw together current information gleaned from scientists,
industry, policy makers and public interest - helping shape policies
on issues such as biotechnology, food production, health care and
pharmaceutical advances in developed and developing countries."
Joyce
Tait, director of Innogen, says that they hope to take a leading
role in policy, public and innovation-related debates on life science
issues.
The
full report is in http://www.biotech-scotland.org.
YEAR OF BIOTECH IN
THAILAND
2003
has been declared the year of biotechnology by the Ministry of
Science and Technology in Thailand. The focus on science and technology
is expected to boost economic prosperity.
According
to the Bangkok Post, the government aims to use biotechnology to
improve the quality of frozen shrimp, frozen chicken, rice and
sugarcane which accounted for 230 billion baht (US$5.1B) in export
returns in 2002.
Minister
Pinit Charusombat was quoted as saying that the National Centre
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology would get 500 million
baht (about US$11.1 M) to develop black tiger prawn and chicken
to make them resistant to diseases. Studies will be conducted to
develop rice that would grow without chemical fertilizers, and
sugarcane with increased sweetness.
Visit http://www.bangkokpost.com for
the full story.
SCIENTISTS GIVE VIEWS
ON DNA STRUCTURE DISCOVERY
In celebration
of the 50th anniversary of the determination of the structure of
the DNA, several scientists and ethicists gave views on the importance
of Watson and Crick's discovery.
Among
those interviewed were Marshall W. Nirenberg, laboratory chief
of biochemical genetics at the National Institute of Health's National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; James Darnell, Vincent Astor
Professor of the Rockefeller University; and John Harris, Sir David
Alliance Professor at the University at Manchester, and member
of the United Kingdom Human Genetic Commission.
"The
DNA was not always known and recognized as the hugely important
area it was to become," stated Darnell. Interest in cell biology
only cropped up in 1957 to 1958, when Bob DeMars started giving
lectures on this "new wave" of bacterial genetics. Darnell
is the pioneer of gene regulation. He discovered the cell-signaling
route, the JAK-STAT pathway.
According
to Nirenberg, the implications of obtaining the genetic code was
that by knowing the code, scientists could "program robotic
machinery within the cell to carry out the instructions." Nirenberg
received a Nobel Prize in 1968 for helping to interpret the genetic
code and its function in protein synthesis.
Lastly,
with regards to bioethics issues, Harris notes that new issues
have revolved around the "possibilities of intervening in
people's genomes through gene therapy, genetic manipulation, and
cloning....We are now starting to feel more responsible for our
state of health and about our genomes. We no longer look at ourselves
passively as the products of evolution, but possibly the authors
of future evolution."
The
full interview is found at http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2003/jan/maher_p27_030113.html.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
ISAAA News
Release in Portuguese and Spanish
The
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA) has issued a press release on the rapid global growth of
biotechnology crops in 2002. ISAAA notes that biotechnology continues
to be a growing choice among farmers worldwide as global acreage
of crops enhanced through biotech increased by 12 per cent or 15
million acres in 2002. The full article, with Portuguese and Spanish
translations, is available at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/CBTNews/News.htm.
New Report on Mycotoxins
The
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has just released
its latest report on Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant, Animal, and Human
Systems. The report provides policymakers and others with current
information on mycotoxins, along with recommendations for minimizing
their risk to plants, animals, and humans. A collaborative effort
by 38 international scientists, the report covers mycotoxin-producing
fungi; mycotoxin control in crops, foods, and feeds; mycotoxin-caused
disease in humans and animals; mycotoxin testing, control, and
international regulation; economics; and research and policy recommendations.
More details are available at http://www.cast-science.org
New Agri-biotech Publication
Agricultural
Biotechnology: Informing the Dialogue is the newest publication
from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station and Cornell
University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It aims
to help the public become more knowledgeable about the issues surrounding
biotechnology, including its benefits and risks. For more information
about the publication, visit http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/comm/gmo//.
For copies email gro@cornell.edu
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