In
This Issue:
FRENCH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SAYS GM CROPS SAFE
In a report
released last week, France's Academy of Sciences announced its support
for GM crops. The report says that there is no evidence to date showing
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) pose potential health and environmental
risks.
"All
the criticisms against GMOs can be set aside based for the most part
on strictly scientific criteria," the report says, adding that "any
generalization on the potential risks linked to GMOs is impossible
since scientific rigor can only proceed from a case by case analysis."
The Academy
also called for the EU to end its moratorium on the approval and
environmental release of GMOs. The report said that with the implementation
of the new regulations "there will be no objective reason to
continue the moratorium on market approval authorization of GMOs."
The Academy
report centered on the role of fundamental research, the contributions
of the transgenic crops to agriculture, on the risks and the regulation,
and the prospects offered to the developing countries. The work also
comprises a chapter intended to clarify the basic scientific concepts
on the matter.
In a related
development, France's Academy of Medicine also called earlier for
the European countries to lift the ban on GM crops, saying it saw
no evidence that GM crops pose risks to humans, AFP reported. The
academy said in a report that GM food had been grown and eaten for
around a decade, especially in the United States, and "no particular
health problem has been detected."
GM food
could be a boon for countries with fast-growing populations and marginal
and shrinking farmland, the report added.
For more
information, visit the website of the France Academy of Sciences
at http://www.academie-sciences.fr/
CSIRO BREEDS
SALT-TOLERANT WHEAT
Australia's
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)
announced that they have successfully bred the first salt-tolerant
durum wheat variety. CSIRO claims that it will give farmers in salt-affected
areas the opportunity to grow durum wheat and attract its higher
prices, while increasing Australia's world market share in premium
wheat.
Rana Munns,
senior research scientist at CSIRO Plant Industry, says there are
two mechanisms for salt tolerance in cereals like wheat. One is the
exclusion of salt by the plant's roots, the other is tolerance of
salt in the leaves. Bread wheat has one and barley has the other,
but modern durum wheat has neither.
Munns and Ray Hare, from Enterprise Grains Australia's wheat and durum breeding
program, discovered an ancient salt-tolerant durum wheat variety that excluded
salt. The team was able to breed the tolerance mechanisms of the ancient wheat
variety into modern breeding lines and current Australian varieties.
Extensive field trials are planned for next year. "If successful, a salt-tolerant
durum wheat variety could be available to growers within three years, says
Hare.
For more
information email Rana Munns at rana.munns@csiro.au or
Ray Hare at ray.hare@agric.nsw.gov.au
BRAZIL TO IMPORT
GM CORN
Reuters
reports that Brazil might import genetically modified (GM) corn next
year particularly from the US and Argentina to feed its livestock.
This according to Brazil's new agriculture minister Roberto Rodrigues
who clarified that this would only be done under strict scientific
controls and labeling so as to protect public health and the environment.
"Corn
is needed to feed poultry, pigs and dairy cattle but will only be
imported after absolutely strict scientific studies and labeling," said
Rodrigues. Brazil is the last major agricultural producer to ban
the commercial use of GM crops.
Reuters further adds that after drought damaged its harvest, Brazil last month
slashed a corn import tariff to 2 percent from 9.5 percent until end-February
2003, making it easier to import corn from the US.
In related
developments, Minister Rodriques was also quoted as saying that he
is in favor of legalizing GM crops in Brazil. He stressed that GM
crops could help combat famine by reducing food prices. Noting that
GM is a controversial issue, the agriculture minister said that reforms
would be adopted gradually and with a scientific foundation.
TOP VATICAN OFFICIAL:
GM FOODS CAN FEED THE WORLD
Archbishop
Renato Martino, who until recently represented the Holy See at the
United Nations and now head of the Vatican's council dealing with
social issues, said that GM foods could be used to feed the world's
hungry, according to a news report by the South African Press Association
(SAPA).
Martino
said he had lived in America for 16 years and ate what came from
the market, including GM foods. "So far I have had no ill effects." He
said that the controversy over rejection of GM foods was more "political
than scientific."
BIOTECH FOR IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
Research
has to be done to improve agricultural productivity and food quality
in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Jennifer
Thomson, scientist at the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology,
University of Cape Town, South Africa, says that research must include
resistance to plant viruses, fungi and the parasitic weed Striga.
Other areas include the development of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis
toxin-expressing crops, and studies on drought and heat tolerant
crops as well as those that can combat the problems of soil deficiencies.
Thomson
adds that vaccine production in plants should be a high priority.
Research into food quality should include the equivalents of "golden
rice" in corn, the enhancement of the production of phytosterols
and improved qualities of vegetable oils.
Thomson
cautions though that farmers will not plant crops with such improvements
unless they are linked to increased yields and increased profits.
Scientists undertaking this research, according to the South African
scientist, need to bear this in mind and ensure that the plants they
produce meet farmers' expectations.
The full
paper is available in the American Society for Nutritional Sciences
journal, 0022-3166/02. Email Jennifer Thomson at JAT@science.uct.ac.za for
further details.
SYNGENTA AND DIVERSA FORM R&D ALLIANCE
Syngenta
and Diversa announced that they have established a shared biotechnology
research platform. Diversa is to acquire certain technology rights
from Syngenta for pharmaceutical applications, in exchange for equity.
The transaction will strengthen the research capabilities of both
companies.
According
to Syngenta, the alliance will combine research activities in genomics
and related technologies for new plant science applications, as well
as for selected antibody generation and other biopharma product development.
Syngenta will enter into a renewable research contract with Diversa
for an initial commitment of $118 million over seven years to be
invested in products in Syngenta's chosen fields. Diversa will receive
milestone payments and royalties on products developed.
"This
collaboration will ensure that Syngenta stays at the cutting edge
of genomics science and creates new product opportunities," said
Dr. David Lawrence, Syngenta Head of Research & Technology. "The
agreement enables us to broaden our biotechnology capability and
bring innovative products to market more quickly."
In other
developments, Syngenta Crop Protection expects to launch VIP (vegetative
insecticidal protein) cotton, a transgenic, insect-resistant cotton
trait in 2004 and 2005. Syngenta claims that the VIP technology will
provide protection against many of the major worm pests that feed
on cotton plants.
Like Bt cotton, VIP cotton includes a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis. However,
the VIP gene produces a different protein, which has a different mode of action,
structure and spectrum of activity than the Bt-derived protein in Bt cotton.
Visit
Syngenta at its website: http://www.syngenta.com
VILLAGE BANK ESTABLISHED
FOR BANANA BIOTECH
The banana
tissue culture project in Kenya has come up with a way to assist
small-scale farmers acquire tissue culture banana plantlets. To provide
an infrastructure for farmers who want to avail of the plantlets,
the project established a village bank.
Over the
last years, ISAAA AfriCenter and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
(KARI) have been involved in the tissue culture banana project to
benefit small-scale resource-poor farmers in Kenya and East Africa.
Though the project has been adopted well by the farmers, it has met
challenges namely lack of micro credit to purchase plantlets, adequate
water for irrigating the orchards and a well-organized marketing
system for the fruits.
The village
bank was set-up to address the problem with financing. Since the
tissue culture plants were better than conventional ones, farmers
were willing to pay a higher price. Still, small-scale farmers could
not afford the number of plantlets that would make their undertaking
economically viable. A credit for purchasing plantlets was established,
however no infrastructure was laid down initially. The established
village bank is accessible to farmers as opposed to commercial banks.
Cooperatives were also not viable as those in the area have been
experiencing management problems.
The village
bank answers the need for a financial institution that is not only
responsive to their needs but also allows the farmers to have more
control over its operations. The new development is aimed at deeply
rooting a revolving fund into the community and developing a strong
and committed leadership and operational capabilities to run a community
based organization.
A complete
write-up is available at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/CBTNews/Special/banana.htm.
For inquiries, email AfriCenter@isaaa.org
MEDIA'S ROLE IN THE
BIOTECH DEBATE
A conference
held at the John F. Kennedy School of Government last November 21,
2002 examined how the media kept the public informed about the growing
presence of biotechnology in food. The conference featured three
separate discussions, "Media Coverage of Science Issues," moderated
by Shorenstein Center director Alex Jones; "Genetically Modified
Corn: Covering Science and Controversy - A Case Study," moderated
by Dan Glickman Institute of Politics director and former U.S. secretary
of agriculture; and "Communicating Food and Health Risks to
Consumers," moderated by Boyce Rensberger, director of Knight
Science Journalism Fellowships at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
During
the discussion moderated by Glickman, the panel agreed that no single
sector - such as the scientists, the media or the government - has
all the answers. There were criticisms against the media for its "sensational" reporting
on the alleged effect of Bt corn on monarch butterflies. However,
others praised the media for its handling of the Starlink corn incident.
Michael
Rodemeyer, executive director of the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology
said, "the rising calls in Congress and the administration for
sound science reflects a growing sense in policy circles that there's
a lack of sound science behind scientific decisions. Critics complain
that decisions are often driven by political concerns driven by sensational
headlines."
C.S. Prakash,
professor in plant molecular genetics and director of the Center
for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University was more
critical of the press. He said that the media has used scare tactics
and words like "Frankenfoods" to appeal to the public's
emotions rather than relying on the science, which he said, shows
the foods are overwhelmingly safe.
Marc Kaufman,
the science reporter for The Washington Post who broke the StarLink
story, stated his belief that scientific journals were still credible
because of their peer-review process. He further said that the potential
of GM plants to increase yields, produce needed drugs, and reduce
the tons of chemical pesticides dumped on agricultural land each
year has been lost in the debate.
Linda
Thrane, executive director of the industry trade group the Council
for Biotechnology Information said, "if these products don't
reach the marketplace, the transformative benefits aren't going to
be seen."
For more
details, go to the Harvard University Gazette at http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/12.05/11-biofood.html
ANNOUNCEMENT: Biotech
Mentor's Kit Available
A mentor's
kit is now available online. It is a result of a collaborative project
between the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture,
Forestry and Natural Resources (PCARRD). It is a set of Powerpoint
transparencies on biotechnology designed to be a comprehensive, instructional
material on the subject matter for use by speakers from the academe
and government agencies. While tailor-made for Philippine audience,
the kit can be adapted for use by other stakeholders. It can be downloaded
at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/Services/K_visuals/Ppt_slides/pptmentors.htm
Notice: Due
to the upcoming Holiday Season, the next issue of the Crop Biotech
Update is scheduled on January 3, 2003.
|
