In This
Issue:
UK GOVERNMENT ALLOWS PLANTING OF GM CORN The United Kingdom has given the go-signal for the planting of genetically
modified (GM) corn. Margaret Beckett, Britain's environment secretary, said
that the government approved in principle the commercial cultivation of herbicide
tolerant corn. The first GM corn crop for cattle feed will be grown in spring
2005.
Beckett stated that the science-based decision took into account “safety,
human health and the environment,” and was based on the three-year Farm
Scale Evaluations which concluded that biotech corn had less negative impact
on the environment than conventional varieties.
London’s Financial Times quoted Prof Julia Goodfellow, chief executive
of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as saying that "GM
technology has great potential benefits for both the public and producers.
It is right that we assess each application of this technology case-by-case
based on the scientific evidence while taking into consideration the understandable
concerns regarding the use of this relatively new technology".
In related developments, the British Medical Association (BMA)
backed the government’s decision to allow the planting of GM corn. David Carter,
chairman of the BMA’s Board of Science, explained that it was necessary
to “move away from the hysteria that has so often been associated with
GM foods.” The BMA released its report where it reversed its 1999 position
for an “open-ended” moratorium on biotech crops. This time it concluded
that it agreed with the Royal Society’s 2002 findings that the risks
to human health from biotech foods are “negligible.”
Aside from the UK, only Spain has allowed the growing of GM crops on a commercial
scale in Europe.
See the Financial Times at http://news.ft.com/home/uk/. For more of the British
Medical Association, visit http://www.bma.org.uk.
KEY ISSUES IN BIOTECH IDENTIFIED IN CHILE FORUM
A number of key issues affecting the development of biotechnology
in the developing world were identified during the Global Technology Forum
held in Concepcion,
Chile. These were: inadequate scientific, technical and research capabilities,
the absence of entrepreneurial skills and of public investment in this field,
the presence of intellectual property barriers, different biosafety regulations,
and difficult market access.
Over 1400 international delegates from 80 countries attended
the forum to assess the challenges in the field of biotechnology in developing
countries
and countries with economies in transition. The meeting opened a dialogue meant
to develop proposals, initiatives and solutions for action, such as: the
establishment of a multi-stakeholder forum for informed dialogue on biotechnology
and its benefits for the developing world, the creation of a network and database
on biotechnology activities in developing countries and those with economies
in transition, including global market and technology information for partnership
facilitation, enhancement of capacity-building activities, and the assessment
of intellectual property legislation on biotechnology.
The Global Technology Forum was organized by the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Chile.
For further information, email Cristina Stricker, UNIDO Information Officer,
at c.stricker@unido.org. A UNIDO press release is available online at
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/dev2465.doc.htm.
WORLD HUNGER AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology recently issued
a brief entitled "Feeding
the World: A Look at Biotechnology and World Hunger," which examined both
the potential and limitations of agricultural biotechnology in boosting food
production and improving the plight of poor farmers in developing countries.
Although the paper does not review all pertinent factors contributing to the
problem of global hunger, it however, discusses extensively several key policy
issues. Some of these issues are as follows:
- The idea that
world hunger should be solved solely through food redistribution (through
aid and assistance programs) partly contradicts the goals of economic
development and self-sustainability that are espoused by developing countries.
Local food production is still the primary way to address hunger.
- Agricultural
biotechnology does not offer solutions to broad systemic problems. The
science, however, may provide means for developing crop varieties tailored
to the specific needs of a particular region. This could, in turn, play an
important role in addressing hunger. Traits such as disease, pest, and drought
resistance could help increase food production. Biotechnology may also address
critical nutritional deficiencies by enhancing the nutritional value of staple
crops in the developing world.
- Biotechnology
raises environmental and human health considerations that must be considered
during the development and deployment of new genetically
modified crops. Such an assessment will require a case-by-case examination
of specific crops in specific environments to be able to consider its potential
environmental benefits. If risks are identified, the capacity of small farmers
and regulators to manage those risks, without training and resources, should
also be considered.
- Biotechnology
is seen as a means of assuring food security for impoverished populations,
while others see this technology, and the complications associated
with access to it, as a potential vehicle for capitalist exploitation. Many
of these differences are rooted in perspectives that are broader than the biotechnology
debate itself and cannot be resolved solely within its confines, but within
other broader forums.
The
full issue brief can be viewed at http://pewagbiotech.org/resources/
issuebriefs/feedtheworld.pdf.
US AND OTHER SECTORS ARE WARY ABOUT NEW BIOTECH RULES
Attendees of the first Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
(MOP1) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last February agreed that detailed biological
information should be provided with each shipment of genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). This decision, however, disappointed plant researchers and countries
such as the United States, that are major exporters of genetically modified
crops.
The main contention pointed out was the protocol's guidelines
for labeling shipments of GMOs. The United States and its allies are suggesting
to minimize
additions to the existing rule so that package markings state that they "may
contain" such organisms. US representatives argued that anything more
specific than that would hinder shipping. "There are 12 or so varieties
of genetically modified maize in commercial use — we have no idea what's
in most shipments," says John Pitchford, Office of International Affairs,
US Department of Agriculture.
However, delegates from the European Union and Africa, during
the MOP1, have successfully argued that exporters should put common and scientific
names on
each shipment, and information on the genetic transformation event used to
make each variety. This information will be needed by developing countries
for their own risk assessments. "We need to be able to check for ourselves," says
David Hafashimana, a conservation biologist at Uganda's Ministry of Water,
Lands and Environment.
Read the news
release at http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/
nature/journal/v428/n6978/full/428006a_fs.html.
POTENTIALS OF GM SUGAR BEET IN THE UK & GERMANY
“The potential impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the environment
and human health compared with conventional crops is a key topic within the
GM debate. In the case of GM herbicide-tolerant sugar beet, results of the
Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) suggest that growing the GM variety would produce
fewer emissions that can potentially harm either the environment or human health
when compared with the typical herbicide regimes currently being used on sugar
beet in the UK and Germany,” states Richard Phipps and Richard Bennett
of the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading,
United Kingdom.
Phipps and Bennett suggested assessing the environmental impacts of new technologies
thru the use of an LCA which evaluates the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental
impacts of a particular technology. They applied LCA to estimate the environmental
burdens associated with growing GM herbicide-tolerant and conventional sugar
beet in the UK and Germany.
The manufacture, packaging, and transport of the herbicides and the use of
farm machinery for field operations were considered in the analysis of each
impact category, which include: the amount of energy used, the effect of carbon
dioxide and other gases on global warming, the production of chemicals that
could contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, potential effects on
water quality, and the production of sulphur dioxide, which contributes to
the production of acid rain.
According to Phipps and Bennett, the LCA showed that the GM production system
had lower values than the conventional systems. The results also showed that
the use of GM varieties of sugar beet offers positive environmental and human
health benefits when compared with conventional production systems.
For more details on the study entitled “Comparing Environmental
and Health Burdens of Traditional vs GM Beet, email Richard Phipps at r.h.phipps@reading.ac.uk.
GENOME EDITOR TO REVOLUTIONIZE AGRICULTURE
A gene targeting system based on a naturally occurring process called homologous
recombination has been developed to precisely substitute one DNA segment for
another within a cell. Called Genome Editor, it can delete, add or modify any
gene with surgical precision in many commercial crops.
According to Phytodyne, an Iowa State University spin-off company, it can
be used to modify multiple genes that work together to confer complex traits
such as improved nutrition and better oil profiles. It can eliminate unwanted
characteristics such as allergens and can improve grain composition to enhance
processing qualities.
Dan Voytas, professor of genetics and co-founder of Phytodyne, said that the
Genome Editor is more precise and efficient in improving the genetics of plants
than the current technology of gene targeting.
See additional details at http://www.iastate.edu/Inside/2004/0227/phyto.shtml
REGULATING GM CROPS TO ASSURE PUBLIC TRUST
A mandatory pre-market approval system that applies established safety standards
in procedures that are transparent and allows for public participation with
no preconceived notions or biases will best achieve both safe products and
consumer trust. This is the view of Gregory Jaffe of the Center for Science
in the Public Interest in Washington, DC.
In a paper entitled “Regulating transgenic crops: a comparative analysis
of different regulatory processes” published in Transgenic Research (13:
2004), Jaffe enumerated the other major components of regulatory systems that
are necessary to ensure safe products and engender public trust:
- Use of outside
scientists for expert scientific advice
- Independent agency
decisions
- Enforcement authority
and resources
Jaffe concluded that “the key to reaping the long-term
benefits of agricultural biotechnology is a strong, but not stifling, regulatory
system that independently
reviews and approves each product for human and environmental safety before
it is commercialized.”
Email Gregory Jaffe at gjaffe@cspinet.org.
ENHANCED COWPEA THROUGH BIOTECH IN AFRICA
By introducing improved seed production system and marker-assisted selection,
genetically modified (GM) cowpea may yet help Africa in the long term. This
was the recommendation of a three-day international workshop on cowpea production
and utilization in Accra, Ghana which was attended by over 40 scientists from
Africa, Europe, United States of America and Australia.
Participants of the workshop which was hosted by the African Agricultural
Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Network for the Genetic Improvement of
Cowpea for Africa, agreed to generate, gain access to and deploy technologies
and new mechanisms that would support the production and distribution of high
quality cowpea seed, development of cowpea varieties resistant to pest infestation
and damage, and dissemination of better storage and processing technologies.
AATF is expected to negotiate intellectual property to access existing technologies
and seeds of GM cowpea. It is also responsible for ensuring seed production
and availability, provide technology liability protection, and ensure social
acceptability of the GM cowpea varieties.
More information on AATF can be viewed online at http://www.aftechfound.org.
MIDDLE EAST SETS UP BIOTECH CENTER
A new environmental and biotechnology research center along the Israeli-Jordanian
border is set to be built this year. Seed money will be provided by the Bridging
the Rift Foundation, a New York-based organization, while the Stanford and
Cornell Universities will assist as academic partners.
Stanford geneticist Marcus W. Feldman said that the center
is located in an “extremely
interesting environment" – between the Dead Sea, the most saline
body of water on earth, and one of the hottest deserts in the world.
An important component of the center will be the Library of Life, a databank
project of all living organisms in the Dead Sea region. The library will assemble
information on living systems, from microbes to plants to animals, using digital
images and global positioning data.
Visit the US partner
universities at http://www.stanford.edu and http://www.cornell.edu.
NEW METHODS FOR IMPROVING SORGHUM
Sorghum is one of the most important grain crop in the world next to wheat,
maize, rice, and barley. However, it has trailed behind other cereals in terms
of development via genetic transformation. Sorghum transformation has been
hampered by tissue culture limitations, such as low regeneration frequencies
and accumulation of phenolic pigments, says Tawanda Zidenga of the Plant Biotechnology
Center at the Ohio State University.
Zidenga mentioned that, at present, marker-assisted selection and genetic
transformation are seen as potential methods that can improve sorghum as a
food crop, and as an industrial crop. Genetic improvement of sorghum can also
help farmers in semi-arid areas where sorghum is a key food crop.
In the paper entitled “DNA-based Methods in Sorghum Diversity Studies
and Improvement,” the author mentioned that, in the past, studies have
been devoted to assessing patterns of sorghum genetic variation based on morphology
or pedigree. However, it was observed that inherited traits are difficult to
trace via morphology alone. Thus, DNA-based methods have been employed in studies
of sorghum genetic diversity and in genetic improvement of the crop.
Molecular markers are identifiable DNA sequences found at specific locations
of the genome, usually found near the sequence of desired genes, and are transmitted
by the standard laws of inheritance from one generation to the next. In contrast
to morphological markers, which are based on visible traits and biochemical
markers which are based on proteins produced by the genes, molecular markers
are based on DNA sequence variations which are linked to useful traits.
For more information, email Tawanda Zidenga at zidenga.1@osu.edu.
CEC REPORTS ON GM CORN IN MEXICO
Assessing biodiversity impacts is a complex issue. "Recent genetic studies
of landraces in Oaxaca, Mexico have shown that gene flow between maize populations
is quantitatively important but that management of seed by farmers maintains
strong agromorphological differentiation between maize populations," said
Julien Berthaud and Paul Gepts of the University of California, Davis.
Berthaud and Gepts’ viewpoints are contained in a draft report on “Maize
and Biodiversity: The Effects of Transgenic Maize in Mexico released by the
Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) for public
comment.
The CEC report was initiated in 2002 in response to a call by several sectors
to investigate the claim that genetically modified material had been found
among traditional Mexican varieties of maize despite a moratorium on its planting.
The CEC Secretariat appointed an international advisory group to come up with
the report and provide advice to the governments of Canada, Mexico and the
United States. The advisory group will present its recommendations to the three
governments in June.
See the draft report at http://www.cec.org/maize/resources/chapters.cfm?varlan=english. Email inquiries
at info@ccemtl.org.
ICAR IDENTIFIES GM PROGRAM
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has identified
transgenic projects worth Rs 250 crore or $55 M involving 14 crops. Proposals
are being
sought by the government’s Planning Commission.
Mangla Rai, Chairman of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, identified
these research areas: Genetically modified (GM) cotton for bollworm and virus
resistance and GM brassica for aphid and drought resistance; GM tomatoes with
delayed ripening, virus resistance and fruit borer resistance; GM brinjal with
fruit borer resistance; and virus resistance for GM soybean, potato, banana
and papaya. Other crops include GM banana with fungal resistance, GM rice with
resistance to stem borer and fungal pathogens, GM sorghum and corn with stem
borer resistance, and GM pigeon pea and chick pea with pod borer resistance.
View the ICAR website at http://www.icar.org.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW CROP BIOTECH BRIEF
Matim Qaim and Alain de Janvry’s study entitled “Cheaper GM Seeds
Could Boost Adoption, Farm Benefits and Company Profits: The Case of Bt Cotton
in Argentina,” is the latest CB (Crop Biotech) Brief from the Global
Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology of the International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA-KC). Downloadable at http://www.isaaa.org/kc,
Qaim and de Janvry analyzes the adoption and impact of Bt cotton in Argentina
in lieu of the monopoly pricing.
EXEC SUMMARY OF ISAAA BRIEFS 30 IN CHINESE
The Chinese version of the Executive Summary of ISAAA Briefs 30, written by
Dr. Clive James, Chair, ISAAA Board of Directors, is now available online at
http://www.isaaa.org/kc. This publication is also available in English, Portuguese,
Arabic and Italian. French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish,
Spanish-Argentinian, and Thai translations of the press release are also downloadable
from the same site.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
- Redbio 2004
Redbio 2004 is the 5th Latin American and Caribbean meeting on Agricultural
Biotechnology. This event will be held on June 21 to 25, 2004 at Punta Cana,
Dominican Republic. Sponsored by the regional cooperation network on plant
biotechnology (RED/FAO), topics that will be discussed include: nutrition
genomics, molecular farming, agricultural competitiveness, public perception
and regulatory framework. Crop-specific workshops and a massive BioShow trade
fair will also take place. Working languages will be English and Spanish.
For more information, email redbio2004@redbio.org. The website address is
http://www.redbio.org.
- Gender and Forestry Symposium
The Worldwide Symposium on Gender and Forestry will take place at the University
of Dar-Es-Aalaam in Arusha, Tansania on August 1 to 10, 2004. This event
is being organized by the gender and forestry working groups of the international
union of forest research organizations and ENVIROCARE. Strategies on how
to improve community access to forest resources while encouraging sustainable
forestry management are the highlights of the event. For more information,
email Prof: Ruth Meena at envirocare_2002@yahoo.com
- Brisbane Crop Science Conference
The
4th International Crop Science Congress (4ICSC) in conjunction with the
5th Asian Crop Science Conference (5ACSC) and the 12th Australian
Agronomy
Conference (12AAC) will be held in Brisbane, Australia on 26 September – 1
October 2004. Submission of poster papers for presentation has been extended
until April 16, 2004. For further inquiries visit http://www.regional.org.au/au/cs/author/faq.htm.
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