In
This Issue:
Bt CORN APPROVED FOR
PLANTING IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippines
is the first country to allow the first biotech food crop to be commercially
planted in Asia. In the next few months, farmers are expected to
start planting Bt corn, which has been demonstrated to improve both
yield and quality of grain. Other Asian countries like China, Indonesia
and India are presently growing Bt cotton, a non-food crop.
The approval
for commercial planting was signed by Director Blo Umpar Adiong of
the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI).
Specifically, the Bureau gave the go-signal to plant Monsanto's YieldGard
Corn Borer corn.
Reuters
reports that Philippine Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. said
that that a decision by the Philippines to allow commercial planting
of Bt corn is a step towards self-sufficiency in the grain and could
also pave the way for commercial planting of more biotech crops.
Lorenzo added that, "This will help in our efforts towards self-sufficiency
in corn. It will be a step in which we will be able to secure, on
a more proactive basis, the viability of that sector. The objective
is to see how this (growing biotech crops) is going to help the poor
of our country. I want to see the technology transferred from the
big companies to the small guys who could benefit from it."
Philippine
researchers studied Bt corn for several years. The first greenhouse
trials were done in 1997 by the University of the Philippine Los
Banos' Institute of Plant Breeding in collaboration with Cargill
Seeds, which was later bought by Monsanto. Subsequently, a series
of field trials were conducted in 17 locations. It was only in April
2002 that the government adopted a regulatory framework, notably
regulations and guidelines for the commercial use of GM crops and
products in the Philippines.
STRIVE
Foundation in the Philippines conducted an independent ex-ante impact
assessment study over the two seasons of multi-location testing of
Bt corn in the Philippines, during the wet season of 2001 and dry
season of 2002. Among the major findings were the following:
- On
the average, the yields of Bt corn YG 818 and YG 838 were higher
by 41 percent than non-Bt corn within the field trial sites during
the wet season, and 27 percent during the dry season. In comparison
to non-Bt corn in farmers' fields (around the trial sites), Bt
corn had higher yields averaging 95% during the wet season and
127% during the dry season.
- In
terms of comparative cost performance (average cost per kilo of
grain produced), there is a cost advantage of 25% in favor of Bt
corn during the wet season and 15% during the dry season.
- In
terms of profitability, Bt corn had an average 25% higher profitability
than non-Bt corn in the trial sites.
- Net
income from Bt corn production is adequate to cover the minimum
subsistence expenditure requirement to provide 2,000 kilocalories
per capita per day for the farm family. Income derived only from
producing non-Bt corn is not adequate.
For more
information on the STRIVE Foundation study, email Dr. Leonardo A.
Gonzales, president and chairman of SIKAP/STRIVE Foundation at strive@lgn.csi.com.ph
EU LAUNCHES NETWORK OF
GMO LABORATORIES
In a bid
to improve traceability of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)
in the food chain and support regulation on their use across Europe,
a network of GMO laboratories was launched last week in Brussels
by European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin.
Busquin
said he welcomed the decision on labeling requirements reached by
EU agriculture ministers on 28 November. The Commission labeling
proposal sets a 0.9% threshold for GM materials on food and feed.
"Whilst
robust legislation to regulate the use of GMOs in food and feed is
necessary, it is not enough on its own. We have to enforce the legislation
and develop reliable, validated tests to verify compliance",
said Busquin.
The new
science network coordinated by the Commision's Joint Research Centre
consists of more than 45 laboratories and aims to develop and validate
methods for detecting and quantifying GMOs in food and feed. (The
list of designated member laboratories can be viewed at http://engl.jrc.it/designated.htm)
"I
am confident that the network of GMO laboratories will greatly improve
our capacity to detect and screen GMOs and provide a sound scientific
basis for enforcing biotechnology legislation. The creation of the
network of GMO laboratories provides us with an important tool to
ensure that we harvest the potential that biotechnology holds for
consumers in a responsible way", said Busquin.
For more
information, visit http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/
guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt= gt&doc=IP/02/1795|0|RAPID&lg=EN
EU ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS
AGREE ON GM POSITION
Environment
ministers in Europe have agreed on a common position for a regulation
on traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
and traceability of food and feed products of GMOs.
Commissioner
Margot Wallstrom said that "If we are to make acceptance of
GMO products possible in the European Union then we must restore
public and market
confidence. In order to do so, we must provide consumers with an effective
choice between GMO and non-GMO products. Labelling and traceability of GMO
products will enable them to choose".
EuropaBio,
the European Association for Bioindustries, released a statement
that it welcomes the Environment Council's decision to complete the
GM legislative package. While the "decision paves the way for
a common position on new legislation for GM food and feed in Europe
it places onerous burdens on the European Agro-Food industries and
on national authorities who will have to enforce the law," says
Simon Barber, Director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at EuropaBio. "It
is important to underline that these rules are not about safety rather
they are about how to extend labelling of GM products to meet consumer
choice."
The Environment
Council has confirmed its policy of extending labelling to all end
products derived from GM crops irrespective of whether they are physically
and chemically identical to products derived from non-GM sources
like sugars and oils. "In theory, labelling must apply to all
ingredients derived from GM products, but in practice can only be
checked in those that have detectable novel DNA or protein," says
Barber. This will force the food industries to duplicate their systems
to meet European requirements of keeping identical products separate,
increased costs will be incurred. "In essence, the labelling
regime now proposed requires GM labels on foods that contain any
GM material, so that people can avoid something that is not there."
The Environment
Council has also broken with the Cartagena Protocol, by insisting
that bulk commodities be labelled differently to what the International
Treaty demands. The same Environment Council had agreed to the Protocol
text only a few months ago. EuropaBio supported the Commission's
proposal to label bulk commodities intended for food, feed or processing
as "may contain" accompanied by a single list of all GM
crops that made up the bulk of the commodity at its original source.
The Council
Common Position will be submitted for a Second Reading to the European
Parliament in early 2003. EuropaBio looks to the Parliament to agree
to practical rules that are enforceable and that strike a proper
balance between the interests of the environment, consumers, industry
and authorities.
For further
information contact Simon Barber at this e-mail address: s.barber@europabio.org or
visit http://www.europabio.org.
USDA SECRETARY STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECH
US Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman underscored the importance of new technology,
including biotechnology, in improving agricultural productivity,
particularly in developing countries. "Technology is one of
the most powerful tools we have to achieve the goals of increasing
agricultural productivity, ending famine, and improving nutrition",
remarked Veneman to the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI).
Veneman
added, "It is all too easy for many of us to take for granted
the essential role played by new technology and those who develop
it". For this, Veneman gave recognition to "the importance
of agricultural research and the whole CGIAR (Consultative Group
for International Agricultural Research) system". She stressed
that "It is important to spread the message about the potential
of biotechnology to improve the food supply".
Secretary
Veneman lauded Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, IFPRI's former Director
General and currently Senior Research Fellow in the Director General's
Office, for advancing and recognizing the important role of agricultural
biotechnology in enhancing food production. "While others hesitated,
Dr. Andersen realized the potential of biotechnology especially to
the developing world. In the ensuing public debate, he has been a
constant and sometimes lonely voice of logic and reason", she
said.
Veneman
also announced a ministerial-level conference scheduled on 23-25
June 2003 in Sacramento, California. The international conference
aims to broaden knowledge and understanding of agricultural science
and technology and how these technologies can be accessed through
public-private partnerships. The conference will be participated
in by public officials and private experts from more than 180 countries
worldwide.
Full transcript
of Secretary Veneman's speech can be viewed at: http://www.usda.gov/
news/releases/2002/12/0499.htm
DUPONT SHARES WHEAT
GENOME INFO
Dupont
announced that it is making proprietary wheat genome data available
to public and private researchers without restriction. The DuPont
contribution, consists of more than 200,000 lines of expressed sequence
tags (ESTs), portions of a gene which can be used to locate an entire
gene. It is expected to more than double the amount of wheat genome
information currently available to researchers through GenBank, a
public database of DNA information held by the National Institutes
of Health.
Jim Miller,
vice president, DuPont Crop Genetics Research & Development said, "we
are confident this data will strengthen the collaborative efforts
among crop scientists and lead to the development of new and improved
wheat varieties". He further said that wheat has one of agriculture's
most complex genomes. "Making this data available, without restrictions,
will bolster many ongoing research efforts and provide a foundation
for the development of advanced varieties that benefit growers, breeders
and consumers".
Dupont
believes that as the most widely consumed crop in the world, wheat
holds the key to vast and innovative nutritional applications in
feeding a growing world population. Through this new research, wheat's
unique traits will also help produce better end-use characteristics
for new generations of wheat products.
For more
information, visit http://www1.dupont.com/NASApp/dupontglobal/
corp/index.jsp?page=/content/US/en_US/news/releases/2002/nr12_09_02.html.
AFRICAN JOURNALISTS' VIEWS ON FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE
African
journalists who attended the Workshop on Food Security and Sustainable
Development, organized by UN-HABITAT and COASAD in Nairobi, Kenya,
from 21-22 November 2002, made vital recommendations for Africa's
food security and sustainable development. They appreciate the recognition
accorded to the media as an "instrument in creating awareness
and conscientization of African people in the fight against the scourges
of food insecurity, famines, and malnutrition affecting much of Africa.
It was
stated in the workshop declaration that the journalists believe Africa
is faced with multifaceted developmental and social problems and
it is their moral, professional and social responsibility to address
these through communication. There is a serious lack of information
in the areas of adequate policy formulation and implementation as
well as biotechnology, especially genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). Bulk of food consumed in Africa is produced in the rural
areas, and statistics show that rural women are the main producers
but they do not own the land they farm or other relevant resources
and they do not have access to appropriate agricultural extension
services. Lastly, The issue of food security is pivotal to the realization
of the goals of poverty reduction and better living conditions in
cities and villages. Their recommendations were:
- That
the media should play a more active role in highlighting the problems
of food insecurity and sustainable development at national and
regional levels;
- That
Policy makers, Parliamentarians and Journalists come together at
a joint forum to forge strategies for confronting food security
issues;
- That
future fora be more interactive, allowing Journalists to learn
from each other and share experiences from their respective countries;
- That
because of the critical role of women in food production, there
is a need for more active and visible participation of women including
rural women in food security workshops;
- That
as highlighted at this workshop, the absence of critical and substantive
information on GMOs as a solution to Africa's food shortage should
be urgently addressed;
- That
there should be sustained information and networking among journalists
which can be enhanced through the creation of a web site and database
on food security, open to both journalists and food experts as
a resource center; and
- That
a Network of African Journalists on Food Security (NAJFS) to propagate
these issues be formed.
REDISCOVERING THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN PLANTS AND HEALTH
An article
written by a team from Rutgers University and Phytomedics Inc, New
Jersey led by Ilya Raskin reviews the recent "pharming" trend.
They believe that the "rediscovery of the connection between
plants and health is responsible for launching a new generation of
botanical therapeutics that include plant-derived pharmaceuticals,
multicomponent botanical drugs, dietary supplements, functional foods
and plant-produced recombinant proteins.
Written
records about medicinal plants date back at least 5000 years to the
Sumerans and archeological records suggest that they were used even
earlier. In the twentieth century, synthetic medicines entered the
scene, beginning with aspirin, and severed the bond between plants
and human health.
The review
limited the term "plant" to seed plants only (superdivision
Spermatophyta) thus excluding fungi and lower plants. The botanical
therapeutics presented in the review were categorized as drugs (new
chemical entities), botanical drugs, dietary supplements/nutraceuticals,
functional/medicinal foods and recombinant proteins.
Plants
are expected to make a comeback as sources of human health products.
The discovery, development and manufacturing of botanical therapeutics
are likely to be a major area of plant biotechnology expansion in
the twenty first century. The growth of botanical therapeutics might
add more value to world agriculture than more conventional applications.
Further, farmers who grow crops for health will profit from greater
margins and higher values enjoyed by the health industry.
The article
was published in Trends in Biotechnology" Vol. 20, No. 12 December
2002. An email could also be sent to raskin@aesop.rutgers.edu.
SWAMINATHAN CALLS
FOR CLARITY ON INDIA BIOTECH POLICY
"India
has considerable capacity in biotechnology and if there is a clear-cut
policy, the doubts in young scholars' minds will be cleared and India
will soon occupy the same position of leadership in biotechnology
as it already does in information technology." So says Professor
M.S.
Swaminathan, a pioneer of Indian agriculture who goes on to say "The investment
will go up if the prevailing confusion and conflicts relating to the potential
applied value of agricultural biotechnology are cleared." Swaminathan
currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology at the M S
Swaminathan Research in Chennai (Madras), India.
The Minister
for Agriculture of the Government of India, Mr Ajit Singh, recently
announced the decision to set up an Expert Committee to prepare a
National Agricultural and Food Biotechnology Policy. Swaminathan
told AgBiotechNet "The aim of this exercise is to disaggregate
the many issues relating to genetically modified crops and foods.
For example, the science part of the work starting with the heritage
of Watson and Crick and extending until today, will have to be separated
from issues like "who controls this science?" "who
will have access to the new technologies?" and "what are
the environmental and food safety aspects connected with the use
of the new genetics in crop and livestock improvement?"
Swaminathan
says "I have been recommending during the last few years, a
broad based multi stakeholder National Commission on Biotechnology
for Food Security in order to resolve the ongoing conflicts in assessment
of their value and to provide a transparent and credible mechanism
for assessment of risks and benefits."
Contact
Prof. M S Swaminathan at his email address: msswami@mssrf.res.in
USA AND CHINA TO COOPERATE
ON AGBIOTECH
US Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and China's Minister of Science and
Technology Xu Guanhua have signed a Protocol on Cooperation in Agriculture
Science and Technology which includes commitments on agricultural biotechnology. "Cooperation
in science and research benefits agriculture in both our countries and reinforces
the central role of science in the regulatory system," Veneman said.
"Consistent,
science-based regulatory systems will strengthen the US-China agricultural
trade relationship, reduce trade obstacles and help resolve outstanding
issues." The protocol will encourage collaborative research
in such important areas as agricultural biotechnology and the agricultural
environment.
The two
countries agreed to form a Joint Working Group to facilitate and
review cooperation under the protocol. "This protocol will build
on the US-China cooperative relationship in research," said
Veneman.
PIONEER AND DENGHAI SEED GROUP FORM CHINESE JOINT VENTURE
DuPont subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., has formed a joint
venture with one of China's largest seed companies, Denghai Seed Group, to
produce corn seed for Chinese farmers.
With 25 million hectares in corn production, China is second only to the USA
in total land devoted to corn. Consumption of corn for livestock feed in
China is expected to grow significantly over the next 10 years.
The new
joint venture, Shandong Denghai Pioneer Seeds Co., Ltd., will develop
and distribute high-yielding corn hybrids for the summer corn markets,
which represent about one third of the total corn market in China.
The joint venture plans to have new hybrids in those markets in 2004.
Visit http://www.pioneer.com/pioneer_news/press_releases/corporate/china.htm for
more information.
UKRAINE BIOSAFETY LAW GETS FIRST READING
The Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) accepted the first reading of a biosafety
law for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Law of Ukraine "On
the State System of Biological Safety in the Course of Development, Testing
and Practical Use of Genetically Modified Organisms" was reviewed on November
28. This Law governs legal relations in the field of genetic engineering and
establishes principles of using GMOs in Ukraine and enforcement powers to ensure
protection of health and prevention of potential negative environmental impact.
The Law
covers contained and open use of GMOs, economic applications; and
export and import, including transit, of GMOs. It also discusses
the powers of government ministers, the Central Executive Agency
for Education and Science, Central Executive Agency for Ecology and
Natural Resources, Central Executive Agency for Health Care, Central
Executive Agency for Agrarian Policy, and a Specially Authorized
Agency for Genetic Engineering Safety.
GLOBAL REVIEW ON
TRANSGENIC CROPS 2001 NOW AVAILABLE
The Global
Review of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2001 - Feature: Bt Cotton
is now off the press. ISAAA Briefs 26 is based on a study by Dr.
Clive James, Chair of the International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-biotech Applications's (ISAAA) Board of Directors.
The Report
confirms that in 2001, global area of transgenic or GM crops was
52.6 million hectares or 130 million acres, representing an increase
of 8.4 million hectares, or 20 million acres over 2000. The principal
GM crops were soybean (33 million ha), corn (10m ha), cotton (7m
ha), and canola (3m ha). These GM crops were grown in 13 countries
by about 5 million farmers, over 75% of whom were small resource-poor
farmers growing Bt cotton in developing countries. The study presents
a global overview of the cotton crop, an assessment of the performance
of Bt cotton to-date, and its future global potential. The focus
on developing countries is consistent with ISAAA's mission to assist
developing countries in assessing the potential of new technologies.
The publication
and further information can be obtained from ISAAA's Center in Southeast
Asia: email publication@isaaa.org. Cost of the publication is $US25
including postage. The publication is available free of charge for
nationals of developing countries.
Visit http://www.isaaa.org/kc for
the Executive Summary of the Report. Versions in French, Portuguese and Spanish are
also available.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
SciDev.Net's Weekly E-Mail Alert
The Science
and Development Network (SciDev.Net), an organization that promotes
the communication of information on science and technology is providing
free weekly e-mail alerts on issues posted on its website. To register
for this alert, go to http://www.scidev.net/register.
International Approaches to Labeling
of GM Food
ISAAA
KC has compiled information on GM labeling laws of different countries.
The database currently has information available for 19 countries.
To view the data, go to http://www.isaaa.org/kc/
issues/labeling/countries.htm.
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