In This
Issue:
FIRST NATIONAL BIOTECH CONFERENCE HELD IN BULGARIA The first national biotechnology conference was held in Sofia last February
12 and 13. The event, which was the first of a series of initiatives planned
by the newly established Bulgarian Biotechnology Information Centre, brought
in experts from all over the world to discuss the various fields of agricultural
biotechnology.
To talk about the practical applications of biotechnology and some of its
trends worldwide, speakers included Dr. Andy Benson, from the International
Food Information Council; Prof. Zhang-liang Chen from the China Agricultural
University, and Prof. Atanas Atanassov, Director of the AgroBioInstitute in
Bulgaria. Prof. Klaus Ammann, from Switzerland, Dr. Gernot Shubert, from Germany,
Mr. Brian Goggin, from the USA, and Mrs. Svetlana Boyanova, from Bulgaria addressed
biosafety issues including international regulatory frameworks.
Dr. Karim Maredia, USA, Ms. Muriel Lightborne, UK and Dr. Neno Nenov, Bulgaria
presented models and success stories of technology transfer and the management
of intellectual property rights. Finally, an exclusive presentation on the
leap from the Green revolution to the Gene revolution was given by Prof. Mark
van Montagu, one of the inventors of the Agrobacterium-based plant transformation.
The event, which was attended by scientists, politicians, government officials,
media representatives, non-government organizations (NGOs) and entrepreneurs,
was a success and is a significant first step for Bulgaria towards gaining
experience on how scientists, politicians and all other stakeholders can communicate,
in a constructive way, in the field of agricultural biotechnology.
Co-organized by the United States’ Department of Agriculture (USDA),
the biotech conference also coincided with the passing of the genetically
modified organism (GMO) Law’s first reading in the Bulgarian Parliament.
For more information on this conference and the activities of the BIC, email
the Bulgaria BIC at bgbic@abi.bg.
BRAZILIAN & FRENCH FARMERS HOLD OPPOSING
VIEWS ON GMOS
Brazilian farmers are fighting
to reduce the alleged “red tape” and
influence of anti-biotech environmentalists on its government’s new biosafety
bill. This was according to a recent news release from Reuters. The said draft
bill was approved earlier this month by Brazil’s lower house of Congress,
and is presently being discussed in the Senate.
Says Joao Sampaio, president
of the Brazilian Rural Society (SRB) – an
organization of small farmers, scientists from the National Technical Committee
on Biosafety (CTNBio) should have the final “say,” and not the
government’s council of ministers, on whether the sale of genetically
modified crops should be authorized in Brazil. He also criticized the new biosafety
bill for allowing the IBAMA, the government’s environmental agency, to
demand environmental impact studies even though scientists deem them to be
unnecessary. These sentiments were also shared by other farmer organizations
in Brazil like the Ocepar – a cooperatives organization in the major
soy-growing state of Parana.
Also, in a related story
from Reuters, the Syndicat de la Presse Agricole et Rurale (SNPAR) – France’s national farming press association
stated that 66% of French farmers are opposed to GMOs with most of them citing
concerns over unknown risks and lack of information on the subject. These were
the major findings of an opinion polling survey conducted by SNPAR in cooperation
with the Institut d’études de marché et d’opinion
(BVA). The survey was conducted with 400 farmers in France.
Results also showed that 50% of the farmers would still not plant GM crops
even if authorization will be given in the future by the French government.
Sixteen percent (16%) also remained skeptical on the issue.
A CALL FOR GRANTS FROM USAID
The U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) has issued a call for grant applications for research
projects on the effects of agricultural biotechnology
on biodiversity in developing countries. The projects will be funded
through USAID's Biotechnology Biodiversity Interface (BBI) program. According
to the press release issued by the USAID, genetically modified (GM) crops,
livestock, and fish have potential benefits, however the safety concerns and
their supposed effects on human health and biodiversity are also major issues
that should be addressed.
Further, the USAID stressed that although GM food safety studies conducted
in the USA, Europe, and other developing countries are being conducted, studies
on the interaction between the environment and GM crops should be dealt with
on a case-to case basis since different countries have varied crop systems
and species with which crops interact with.
In line with this,
the BBI program is giving grants for research on:
- GM crop and animal
outcrossing and other unintended environmental effects;
- Risk
assessment, risk management, and post-commercialization monitoring for
GM crops and animals; and
- Possible
risks associated with animal vaccines
The program is a component
of USAID's Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS), and is part of a broader
effort "to support science-based decision-making
and policy development." Grants, amounting to US$1.3 million, will
be awarded for three- to four-year-long research programs. Grant proposals
will be accepted until April 15, 2004.
For more information about
USAID’s activities, visit their website at
http://www.usaid.gov/.
SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPERS TAKE A NEUTRAL STANCE ON BIOTECH
A survey of national newspapers
in South Korea in 2002 and 2003 reveal that journalists are abreast with
the latest developments in biotechnology, and
are writing about issues and concerns pertaining to the science. With the South
Korean government’s move to improve its capability in biotechnology,
more journalists have taken a neutral stance towards the technology - reporting
on new technologies developed, and their potential risks and benefits.
The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), new GM technologies,
and local and international trade issues and disputes were extensively reported
on from 2002 to 2003. Twelve (12) national newspapers published a total of
759 news articles. The top three newspapers were: Yonhap News, Maeil Economic
Daily, and the Nongmin Shinmum, which collectively published a total of 200
news articles for the period specified (approximately 17 articles per month).
In general, the news stories were guided by economic or political interests,
and were neutral in tone or were neither pro- or anti- biotechnology. Topics
on government regulations, biodiversity, labeling, and food safety dominated
the news articles written.
These are some of the findings of a media monitoring study conducted by the
Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology of the International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications in collaboration with a country
network contact. The network contact scanned the national newspapers and other
major publications in South Korea, and sent monthly summaries of all the news
stories that were published during the period specified. The South Korean study
is part of a bigger media monitoring project which aims to compare the media
situation in six other Asian countries.
For more information on this study, email m.villena@isaaa.org.
EU DECISION ON GM MAIZE IN COUNCIL’S
HANDS
The decision to authorize
the import and processing of Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) maize known
as NK603 was referred this week to the Council of
Ministers. This took place after the Regulatory Committee on the release of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment did not reach the
qualified majority necessary to support the Commission’s proposal.
In the next few weeks, the Commission will formally adopt the said proposal.
The Council of Ministers can either adopt or reject the proposal with a qualified
majority. If no decision is made after three months, the proposal will then
be returned to the Commission, who can then adopt it.
If authorized, this particular GM maize, which has been modified for increased
tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, would be labeled as GM. It will only
be allowed for importation after April 18, 2004 - when the new European Union
(EU) rules on GMOs enter into application, and after the authorization for
food uses of NK603 have been granted as part of the new EU GM Food legislation.
Read the EU’s decision at http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_
action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/04/238|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=.
NPV SPRAY, EFFECTIVE AGAINST POD BORER INFESTATIONS
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
in collaboration with its partner organizations re-invented a traditional and
cost-effective method to reduce pod borer infestations by at least 85%. ICRISAT
researchers discovered a way to manufacture the Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus
(NPV) into an easy-to-apply spray.
The Nuclear Polyhedrosis
Virus (NPV) is a naturally occurring viral disease of pod borers that can
cause heavy mortality in pod borers with no harmful
effects on non-target insects, animals, or crops. In the past, the large-scale
use of NPV against the pod borer was limited since it required live host insects.
To
develop the NPV spray, farmers and researchers collected live pod borers,
reared them in individual compartments, and fed the caterpillars an exclusive
diet of NPV-infected chickpea seeds. Maximum viral production is achieved
when the insects die due to the virus. The pod borer carcasses that show
clear evidence
of virus infection are then mixed and macerated to release the NPV in a form
that can infect healthy pod borers. At present, pigeonpea farmers, mainly from Ashta, India, avoid the cycle of
developing insect resistance, and gain more profits without causing any harm
to the environment. Further, NPV production costs only a fifth as much as the
alternative, commercially produced chemical sprays, and leaves no chemical
residues that can harm human health and the environment. Farmers adopting this
technology have also achieved yields that more than doubled as compared to
the yields of neighboring villages for pigeonpea, chickpea and cotton crops.
For further information about this research, inquiries can be addressed to
Dr. GV Ranga Rao, Special Project Scientist, ICRISAT, at g.rangarao@cgiar.org.
This news article was also featured by Future Harvest at http://www.futureharvest.org/pdf/podborer.pdf.
SCIENTISTS HIGHLIGHT PROCESS IN CONTROL OF FLOWERING
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne,
Germany, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have recently demonstrated
the molecular mechanism that plants adopt to trigger flowering in response
to light duration and quality. Published in the February 13 issue of Science,
the findings suggest the potential for control over flowering time and adaptation
for growth under conditions different from natural habitats.
World food production from plants is mostly limited to specific seasons or
certain regions of the world as plant species have unique precautions that
trigger flowering only at the best time suited for its reproduction. The scientists
conducted experiments on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress)
to better determine the mode of regulation of light on flowering time. They
demonstrated the effect of day length and light quality on the stability of
a floral-promoting protein named constans. The latter explains why many plant
species exhibit seasonal, day-length dependent flowering.
Arabidopsis is a small flowering plant commonly used as a model organism and
is the first plant for which the whole genome has been sequenced. Hebrew University
researcher Dr. Alon Samach points out that flowering time manipulation could
be achieved either through the introduction of genetic changes that could alter
the stability of the floral promoter (constans) or through simple manipulation
of sunlight elements.
For more details, please email Jerry Barach at jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il.
WAYS TO AVOID NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON BT NON-TARGETS
A recent review of ecological risk assessment of Bt maize pollen for the non-target
species Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae revealed several recommendations
that could prevent future negative impacts to non-targets. Karen Oberhauser
and Erika Rivers of the University of Minnesota reviewed current researches
on how Monarch butterfly larvae are affected by the Bt maize pollen and discussed
issues from the scientific risk assessment that lead to the re-registration
of Bt maize in the United States.
Citing the posed threat of Bt maize variety (Event 176) to the Monarch butterfly
larvae, the authors presented several recommendations on bolstering pre-commercialization
regulation and ecological risk assessment to impede future negative impacts.
These include:
- making pre-commercialization
risk assessment broadly accessible, independent, and focused on the unique
ecological context for the proposed transgenic crop;
- increasing
funding for independent non-target risk assessments; and
- establishing
a product registration regime based on the best available science
and responsive to uncertain science.
For more details, email Karen S. Oberhauser at oberh001@tc.umn.edu.
EFFECTS OF WTO AND FTAA IN LATIN AMERICA
The International Food Policy Research Institute has released a discussion
paper analyzing the effect on output, employment, and poverty on two alternative
versions of further trade liberalization: free trade world wide (WTO) and the
Western hemisphere free trade bloc (FTAA).
In a paper entitled “The Effect of WTO and FTAA on Agriculture and the
Rural Sector in Latin America,” the authors introduced a world model-derived
international commodity price changes into national Computable General Equilibrium
(CGE) and micro-simulation models for fifteen (15) Latin American countries
to estimate how FTAA and WTO would affect sectoral output, employment, wages
and poverty levels for each of the countries.
Both alternatives were found to be expansionary for output and employment
in general, and for agriculture in most Latin American countries, in particular.
WTO was found to favor the rural sector, and the poverty micro-simulation exercise
revealed that the poor are helped by either WTO or FTAA. Both versions were
found to reduce poverty and inequality with changes being especially significant
under the WTO.
For the full-text
discussion paper, please visit: http://www.ifpri.org/divs/dsgd/dp/dsgdp03.htm
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
NEW K-SHEET
The National Center for
Food and Agricultural Policy’s (NCFAP) December
2003 study entitled “Plant Biotechnology: Potential Impact for Improving
Pest Management in European Agriculture,” is the latest Knowledge (K)
Sheet from the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology of the International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA-KC). Authored
by Leonard Gianessi, Sujatha Sankula, and Nathan Reigner, this comprehensive
report examines nine case studies on the potential impacts of biotech crops
on European agriculture. Download the K-Sheet at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
PAPER ON WHEAT IMPROVEMENT
A summary of David Hoisington
and colleagues’ paper entitled “The
application of biotechnology to wheat improvement” is posted in the document
cabinet of the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology together with
other recent papers. Hoisington, who is affiliated with the International Maize
and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), together with his colleagues, analyzed
how biotechnology can improve the wheat crop. View the summary and other articles
at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
SERIES OF CONFERENCES FROM THE AFRICAN AGBIOTECH
- International
Year of Rice (IYR) Event, 23rd Session of FAO African Regional Conference
March
1-5, 2004; Johannesburg, South Africa
The International
Year of Rice promotes improved production and access to this vital food crop,
which feeds more
than half the world's population
while providing
income for millions of rice producers, processors and traders.
More info: http://www.fao.org/rice2004/en/calendar.htm
- Biotech, the
Public and the Media - Towards Informed Decision Making
March 2004 9-10;
University of Pretoria
A "working conference" with an emphasis on
disseminating cutting edge-biotechnology information and promoting informed
debate on different aspects
on biotechnology, this conference aims at building the interface between
biotechnology and society through the media in South Africa.
More info: http://www.pub.ac.za/events/bpm_conference.html
- International Federation of Agricultural Journalists - Annual Congress
March
12-20, 2004; South Africa
The theme for
our congress is: "Hope
for the Millennium" and no
continent needs this more than Africa, which has about 50 million people
on the verge of starvation. We believe the world press needs to know more
about what modern agriculture can do to solve Africa's pervading problems
of starvation and poverty.
More info: http://www.ifaj.org/index.html.
- Assuring Food
And Nutrition Security In Africa By 2020
April 1-3, 2004;
Kampala, Uganda
This all-Africa conference will bring together the traditional and new actors
and stakeholders to deliberate on how to bring about change and action to
assure food and nutrition security.
More info: http://www.ifpri.org/2020AfricaConference/index.htm.
BIOASIA 2004 CONFERENCE
The BioAsia 2004 Conference will be held on February 26 to 28, 2004 at the
Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad. The conference will be graced by some of the
best known names in biotechnology and by trade delegates from Israel, Italy,
USA, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and Bangladesh
during the BioAsia 2004 Tradeshow. To register, please visit http://www.bioasia2004.org or email conference@bioasia2004.org.
ASFARNET NEWSLETTER
The Asian Farmers
Regional Network (ASFARNET) released a newsletter highlighting its first
meeting which was held in Thailand earlier this month. ASFARNET was
organized during a capacity building workshop held in Manila and Cagayan de
Oro City, Philippines last December 2003. For the full newsletter article and
more information about ASFARNET, visit http://www.searca.org/~bic/resources/newsletters/ASFAR-Feb2004.pdf |
