Coexistence Monthly Update – August, September and October 2005
Global
Billionth cumulative acre of GM crops harvested
Truth About Trade and Technology, a non-profit group supporting free trade and agricultural biotechnology, estimated that the one billionth cumulative acre of genetically modified (GM) crops was harvested at the beginning of October. Truth About Trade and Technology tracks biotech crop acres as they are planted and harvested around the world.
First nine years of GM assessed
According to a recent study, after nine years of commercialisation, GM crops have made a significant, positive impact on the global economy and environment. The study reported that, since 1996, the use of GM crops has:
increased farm income by a cumulative total of $27 billion, derived from a combination of enhanced productivity and efficiency gains;
reduced pesticide spraying by 172 million kg and the environmental footprint associated with pesticide use by 14%; and
reduced the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, equivalent to removing five million cars from the roads for one year.
Codex Task Force decides agenda
The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology recently held its fifth session in Chiba, Japan. The Task Force agreed to initiate work on:
a guideline for the food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA animals; and
an annex to the Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants regarding the food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants that have been modified for nutritional or health benefits.
The next session of the Task Force will be held in November 2006.
Europe
Europe approves new GM strains for use in animal feed
The European Commission has approved the import and use of two GM crops for processing as animal feed – the maize variety known as MON 863 and the GM oilseed rape variety, GT73. The MON 863 maize has been modified to resist the corn rootworm, whereas the GT73 oilseed rape is modified to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. The approvals are valid for 10 years and result from applications submitted by the US biotechnology company, Monsanto.
Study shows no allergy problems from GM corn or soy
A study conducted by researchers at Portugal's National Health Institute has found no evidence that several widely used strains of GM corn and soybeans provoke food allergies. The study examined a group of allergy-prone adults and children who had eaten GM products approved for use in Europe since the 1990s. The researchers say that no-one reacted differently to the GM crops than they did to conventional varieties.
France to draw up GM law
The French Government will submit draft legislation on the cultivation of GM crops to Parliament at the beginning of 2006. If adopted, it will make the declaration of GM crops compulsory. At present, GM crops approved by the EU before 1999 (i.e. insect-resistant maize BT176 and MON810, and herbicide-tolerant maize T25) can be grown commercially in France without being declared to the authorities. Under the proposed law, the French Minister of Agriculture will have the power to adopt legal requirements to provide information about GM crops to the public. The bill is intended to also specify scientifically-based coexistence rules between GM and non-GM crops.
Non-GM policy costs could be unsustainable
Delivering and maintaining non-GM policies in the EU food and feed sector is set to become more challenging in the coming year, and may become unsustainable, according to a new report. The report predicts that availability of non-GM soya beans and derivatives from Brazil (the largest supplier) is likely to decline in the next two years, resulting in an increase in the price differential between non-GM and GM soy - possibly reaching as much as 25%. For non-GM livestock product producers, the widening price differential for a primary feed ingredient could result in feed costs rising by between 6% and 10% in the next 1-3 years, and lead to a decrease in profitability of between 9%-29%. The report suggests that the additional costs and feasibility problems may be unsustainable and may cause many businesses to re-think their policies of avoiding GM.
Denmark drops anti-GM stance
After opposing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for eight years Denmark is set to authorise the importation of GM-modified maize. According to the Danish government, it will be an end to Denmark categorically saying no to all GM crops and, instead, all new requests would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
North America
Citizens sue for environmental review of biopharm algae in Hawaii
Citizen groups in Hawaii filed a lawsuit against the Board of Agriculture challenging the approval of a permit to allow the production of GM micro-organisms. The permit allows biotechnology company Mera Pharmaceutical to import and manufacture seven novel strains of algae, that have been genetically modified, to produce drugs for experimental purposes, outdoors. The lawsuit seeks to stop the project from proceeding because the GM strains of algae have never been used anywhere outside the laboratory and their effects on humans and the environment are not known.
Organic farmers can appeal ruling
Saskatchewan organic farmers will get another opportunity to launch a class-action lawsuit against Monsanto and Bayer CropScience. The farmers' first attempt to have the case against the two companies certified as a class action was rejected in May. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, however, granted them leave to appeal that decision. The farmers are seeking compensation for losses they say are the result of the introduction of GM canola.
Fifteenth State bans local GM-free zones
North Carolina (NC) is the fifteenth US state to introduce legislation banning local GM-free zones. The bill, H671, proposes that "the State Board of Agriculture will have sole authority to regulate genetically-modified and genetically-engineered plants". The Bill was passed by NC Senate and now awaits final ratification prior to becoming law. Once law, the Bill would prevent local authorities from declaring themselves GM-free zones. States that have already passed legislation effectively banning local GM-free zones account for more than 40% of the total value of US agricultural production, including almost 36% of maize sales and 42% of soya sales.
Central and South America
Study found no GM maize in Mexico
A recent study has found no evidence of GM traits in maize sampled in Oaxaca, Mexico. Researchers screened 870 plants in 125 fields and 18 localities in the state of Oaxaca during 2003 – 2004 for two transgenes that are present in all commercialised GM maize varieties. No transgene sequences were found in the seeds sampled. This contradicts previous findings in 2000, where researchers found evidence of GM maize in Oaxaca, despite a ban on planting GM crops.
Argentina gives approval to new GM maize
In September, Argentina granted approval for the cultivation of a new GM maize made by Swiss firm, Syngenta. The maize variety, known as GA21, is resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. Argentina is also set to authorise a new rice variety with increased lysine content from Bayer, and a Pioneer’s stacked herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant maize for commercial use. Argentina is the world's second largest producer of GM crops, after the US.
Brazil faces GM seed shortage
Faced with shortages of GM soya bean seeds and new royalty charges, large numbers of Brazilian farmers are expected to obtain seeds on the black market this season. In March, Brazil's Congress approved a law authorising GM seed sales for the first time. However, the law was passed too late for seed producers to increase supplies in line with expected demand. As a result, Brazil will have just 3 million bags (120 000 tonnes) of certified GM soya seeds for the 2005/06 crop - enough to cover 2.2 million hectares, or less than 10% of the soya area planted in 2004/05.
Australia
Australia sets new canola GM tolerance levels
The Australian State and Territory Governments have reached an agreement on the administration of GM canola crops that have been approved for release by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. The Primary Industries Ministerial Council has adopted a national GM threshold level of 0.9% in canola grain and 0.5% in canola seed. The 0.5% limit would apply for the 2006 and 2007 seasons, with the intention of reducing the limit to 0.1% in future years.
Australia: consumers show complex attitude toward GM foods
A recent survey conducted by Biotechnology Australia found that Australian consumer attitudes towards GM foods are driven more by their general attitude towards food than by attitudes towards gene technology. Other factors that govern attitudes towards GM foods include trust in multinational corporations, concern over increased industrialisation of food production, and a trust or distrust of new technologies. The report also suggested that it is no longer sufficient to ask simple for or against questions relating to biotechnology. This is because consumers want more information and their attitude can change depending on how that information impacts upon their values.
NSW extends GM moratorium
The New South Wales (NSW) State Government has confirmed that its current moratorium on the cultivation of GM crops will be extended to March 2008. In 2003, the NSW parliament banned GM crops for three years until March 2006, but gave the Government the power to allow exemptions for research purposes. The State Government has decided to extend its legislation for another two years because there was insufficient evidence to help assess the benefits of GM versus non-GM food crops as no on-farm GM research trials have taken place in NSW since 2003.
Asia
Japan likely to relax Bt10 maize control
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has proposed a plan to allow up to 1% adventitious Bt10 maize in feed imports from the USA. Japan currently has a zero-tolerance policy on imports of unapproved GM crops. The proposal follows the tenth case of US origin feed grain that has been found to contain unapproved Bt10 maize in recent months. The new rule is subject to approval by Japan’s Food Safety Commission and is likely to be implemented next year.
Vietnam issues GMO regulations
Regulations governing GMOs issued by the Vietnam Government came into effect on 10 September 2005. The regulation covers scientific research, technological development, production, trading and usage, import, export and transportation of GMOs and related products. It also considers risk control and granting of biological safety certificates to GM organisms and products. The regulations also specify that scientific research and development of technology on GMOs and related products should be registered with the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Sri Lanka releases new Biosafety Framework
Sri Lanka has released details of its new National Biosafety Framework (NBF) for regulating GMOs and GM foods under the "precautionary principle." The framework covers national biosafety policy, regulatory mechanisms, administrative structure, risk assessment and management procedures, and provisions for public participation in decision making. At present, Sri Lanka has no laws that specifically regulate GMOs. The introduction of the NBF helps bring Sri Lanka into line with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, of which it is a signatory.
China approves new GMO cotton to raise output
A new hybrid variety of insect-resistant Bt cotton has recently gained approval for commercialisation in China and is likely to be grown in large areas from 2007. The new variety is expected to yield 26.4% more cotton than current strains, helping the country cut its production shortfall in the commodity. China, the world's leading consumer of cotton, is expected to import 3.2 million tons of the fibre next year due to smaller acreages and larger textile exports.
Africa
Kenya maize trial halted
Kenyan authorities have destroyed the country's first field trial of GM crops three months after the experiment was launched by the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). The government halted the research and ordered the destruction of the GM pest-resistant maize crop after discovering that it had been sprayed with a restricted pesticide. It was feared that this action could compromise the validity of the trial's results. KARI has applied to the Kenyan National Biosafety Committee for permission to repeat the trial.
Zimbabwe and Tanzania to launch biotech regulations
Zimbabwe's National Biotechnology Bill was approved last month and will be launched in November. The Bill seeks to encourage the use of biotechnology and to provide a regulatory framework. It also proposes that all biotechnology research institutions be registered with the Board and their work monitored.
Similarly, Tanzania is planning to launch its National Biosafety Regulations governing the import and use of GMOs in December.
Contact for Enquiries
Dr Sharon Adamson
Manager,
Innovation Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0618
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0741
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