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[SANET-MG] ISP to FAO: GM crops not answer



 ISP Press Release 27/05/04

ISP to FAO: GM Crops Not the Answer

The Independent Science Panel (ISP) has criticised the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for its qualified backing of
genetically modified (GM) crops in the global fight against hunger.

The FAO recently released its annual publication, The State of Food and
Agriculture 2003-2004. This year, the theme was on "Agricultural
Biotechnology:
Meeting the needs of the poor?" The report touches on the full range of
agricultural biotechnology tools and applications, but focuses largely on
transgenic or GM crops and their impact on poor people in poor countries.

While acknowledging that biotechnology is not a panacea, the FAO
maintains that
it holds great promise as a new scientific tool for generating applied
agricultural technologies. The report claims that biotechnology is
capable of
benefiting small, resource-poor farmers, yet also cautions, "Given that
technologies that are on the shelf today (generated by conventional
research
methods) have not yet reached the poorest farmers’ fields, there is no
guarantee
that the new biotechnologies will fare any better."

Thus, the FAO seems to ignore the implicit message of its own study: GM
crops
have thus far delivered negligible benefits to the world’s poor. And
there is
little indication that these trends will change in favour of the poor.
As the
report points out, crops and agronomic traits of importance to developing
countries and marginal production areas have been ignored.

Instead, the focus has been on four crops (soybean, maize, cotton,
canola) more
suited for industrial agriculture and unlikely to meet the food security
needs
of poor farmers, and two traits (herbicide tolerance and insect
resistance) of
limited relevance; herbicide resistance, in particular, is less relevant
for
developing countries where farm labour is abundant.

These four crops and two traits have, however, been the mainstay of the GM
industry, controlled largely by transnational corporations that have
reaped most
of the benefits. This private sector-led investment in agricultural
research and
development depends on strong protection of intellectual property rights
(IPRs)
over GM crops.

The FAO is disingenuous when it calls on countries to develop stronger IPR
regimes to promote GM crop research, even as the independent Commission on
Intellectual Property Rights has expressed reservations over patent
protection
for plants and animals. Many developing countries that are World Trade
Organisation (WTO) members, particularly the Africa Group, have also
expressed
similar concerns, joining countless non-governmental and civil society
organisations, and some 700 scientists (including ISP members), to call
for no
patents on living organisms.

Is the FAO ignoring these views, much as it seems to be selective in the
evidence it draws on to justify the report’s conclusions? For example,
in the
section on public attitudes, the report relies heavily on a survey that
asks
imbalanced questions. This section concludes that people in developing
countries
are generally likely to support agricultural biotechnology, which is not
surprising, given that the risks are not mentioned in the questions
asked, only
the potential benefits.

Yet the risks of GM crops are increasingly apparent. The FAO report is
unacceptably silent on the transgenic contamination of traditional
varieties of
maize in Mexico, a centre of origin and diversity of maize; it doesn’t
discuss
biodiversity and food security impacts, let alone the immense
implications on
cultural and indigenous practices.

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, director of the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) and
member of the ISP, points to further flaws: "The FAO claims that scientists
generally agree that current transgenic crops and the foods derived from
them
are safe to eat. But there are many scientists - ISP members included -
who have
questioned this premise, and there is increasing evidence that casts
doubt on GM
food safety."

The ISP’s report, The Case for a GM-Free Sustainable World
<http://www.indsp.org/A%20GM- Free%20Sustainable%20World.pdf>, is an
extensive
review of the scientific and other evidence on the problems and hazards
of GM
crops and the manifold benefits of all forms of sustainable agriculture
(see
Executive Summary, appended).

It is clear, from the evidence therein, that there are many unanswered
questions
on the safety of GM crops. Very few studies have been conducted,
particularly as
to the effects of GM foods on human health. There is a dearth of published
scientific papers on which a reliable database of safety can be
established, and
the few independent studies that have been carried out raise serious
concerns.
There is also increasing indication of the environmental and socio-
economic
impacts of GM crops, particularly on smallholder farmers.

The ISP has called for a global ban on environmental release of GM
crops, to
make way for agroecology, organic farming and other forms of sustainable
agriculture. There is growing evidence that many smallholder farmers in
developing countries already have the knowledge, experience and innovative
spirit that enable them to farm sustainably and productively, without
depending
on GM crops. These traditional farming practices best address
agriculture that
is complex, diverse and risk-prone; GM crops would create many more
risks for
these farmers. The FAO should be calling for more research into these
sustainable practices, so as to better them and make them equitably
accessible,
rather than into GM crops.

If the world is to seriously address hunger, this means rethinking
agriculture
and associated policy making, and exploring how traditional knowledge and
science can work together, while learning from farmers themselves. World
hunger
today is more a consequence of economic and political forces that hamper
distribution, and less one of inadequate food supply. These, and other
issues
including access to land, water, credit and markets, the loss of
agricultural
biodiversity and the inequities in multilateral policies that affect
agriculture
and rural development, must be addressed.

The FAO would do better to focus on these issues, rather than on GM
crops, if it
is really serious in "helping build a world without hunger".

Written by Lim Li Ching <mailto:ching@i- sis.org.uk> for the ISP


The Case for A GM-Free Sustainable World - Executive Summary


Why GM Free?

1. GM crops failed to deliver promised benefits

The consistent finding from independent research and on-farm surveys
since 1999
is that GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits of
significantly
increasing yields or reducing herbicide and pesticide use. GM crops have
cost
the United States an estimated $12 billion in farm subsidies, lost sales
and
product recalls due to transgenic contamination. Massive failures in Bt
cotton
of up to 100% were reported in India.

Biotech corporations have suffered rapid decline since 2000, and investment
advisors forecast no future for the agricultural sector. Meanwhile
worldwide
resistance to GM has reached a climax in 2002 when Zambia refused GM
maize in
food aid despite the threat of famine.

2. GM crops posing escalating problems on the farm

The instability of transgenic lines has plagued the industry from the
beginning,
and this may be responsible for a string of major crop failures. A
review in
1994 stated, "While there are some examples of plants which show stable
expression of a transgene these may prove to be the exceptions to the
rule. In
an informal survey of over 30 companies involved in the
commercialisation of
transgenic crop plants….almost all of the respondents indicated that
they had
observed some level of transgene inaction. Many respondents indicated
that most
cases of transgene inactivation never reach the literature."

Triple herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape volunteers that have combined
transgenic
and non-transgenic traits are now widespread in Canada. Similar multiple
herbicide-tolerant volunteers and weeds have emerged in the United
States. In
the United States, glyphosate-tolerant weeds are plaguing GM cotton and
soya
fields, and atrazine, one of the most toxic herbicides, has had to be
used with
glufosinate-tolerant GM maize.

Bt biopesticide traits are simultaneously threatening to create
superweeds and
Bt-resistant pests.

3. Extensive transgenic contamination unavoidable

Extensive transgenic contamination has occurred in maize landraces
growing in
remote regions in Mexico despite an official moratorium that has been in
place
since 1998. High levels of contamination have since been found in
Canada. In a
test of 33 certified seed stocks, 32 were found contaminated.

New research shows that transgenic pollen, wind-blown and deposited
elsewhere,
or fallen directly to the ground, is a major source of transgenic
contamination.
Contamination is generally acknowledged to be unavoidable, hence there
can be no
co- existence of transgenic and non-transgenic crops.

4. GM crops not safe

Contrary to the claims of proponents, GM crops have not been proven
safe. The
regulatory framework was fatally flawed from the start. It was based on an
anti-precautionary approach designed to expedite product approval at the
expense
of safety considerations. The principle of ‘substantial equivalence’, on
which
risk assessment is based, is intended to be vague and ill-defined, thereby
giving companies complete licence in claiming transgenic products
‘substantially
equivalent’ to non-transgenic products, and hence ‘safe’.

5. GM food raises serious safety concerns

There have been very few credible studies on GM food safety.
Nevertheless, the
available findings already give cause for concern. In the still only
systematic
investigation on GM food ever carried out in the world, ‘growth
factor-like’
effects were found in the stomach and small intestine of young rats that
were
not fully accounted for by the transgene product, and were hence
attributable to
the transgenic process or the transgenic construct, and may hence be
general to
all GM food. There have been at least two other, more limited, studies
that also
raised serious safety concerns.

6. Dangerous gene products are incorporated into crops

Bt proteins, incorporated into 25% of all transgenic crops worldwide,
have been
found harmful to a range of non-target insects. Some of them are also
potent
immunogens and allergens. A team of scientists have cautioned against
releasing
Bt crops for human use.

Food crops are increasingly used to produce pharmaceuticals and drugs,
including
cytokines known to suppress the immune system, induce sickness and central
nervous system toxicity; interferon alpha, reported to cause dementia,
neurotoxicity and mood and cognitive side effects; vaccines; and viral
sequences
such as the ‘spike’ protein gene of the pig coronavirus, in the same
family as
the SARS virus linked to the current epidemic. The glycoprotein gene
gp120 of
the AIDS virus HIV-1, incorporated into GM maize as a ‘cheap, edible oral
vaccine’, serves as yet another biological time-bomb, as it can
interfere with
the immune system and recombine with viruses and bacteria to generate
new and
unpredictable pathogens.

7. Terminator crops spread male sterility

Crops engineered with ‘suicide’ genes for male sterility have been
promoted as a
means of ‘containing’, i.e., preventing, the spread of transgenes. In
reality,
the hybrid crops sold to farmers spread both male sterile suicide genes
as well
herbicide tolerance genes via pollen.

8. Broad-spectrum herbicides highly toxic to humans and other species

Glufosinate ammonium and glyphosate are used with the herbicide-tolerant
transgenic crops that currently account for 75% of all transgenic crops
worldwide. Both are systemic metabolic poisons expected to have a wide
range of
harmful effects, and these have been confirmed.

Glufosinate ammonium is linked to neurological, respiratory,
gastrointestinal
and haematological toxicities, and birth defects in humans and mammals.
It is
toxic to butterflies and a number of beneficial insects, also to the
larvae of
clams and oysters, Daphnia and some freshwater fish, especially the rainbow
trout. It inhibits beneficial soil bacteria and fungi, especially those
that fix
nitrogen.

Glyphosate is the most frequent cause of complaints and poisoning in the
UK.
Disturbances of many body functions have been reported after exposures
at normal
use levels.

Glyphosate exposure nearly doubled the risk of late spontaneous
abortion, and
children born to users of glyphosate had elevated neurobehavioral defects.
Glyphosate caused retarded development of the foetal skeleton in laboratory
rats. Glyphosate inhibits the synthesis of steroids, and is genotoxic in
mammals, fish and frogs. Field dose exposure of earthworms caused at
least 50
percent mortality and significant intestinal damage among surviving worms.
Roundup caused cell division dysfunction that may be linked to human
cancers.

The known effects of both glufosinate and glyphosate are sufficiently
serious
for all further uses of the herbicides to be halted.

9. Genetic engineering creates super- viruses

By far the most insidious dangers of genetic engineering are inherent to
the
process itself, which greatly enhances the scope and probability of
horizontal
gene transfer and recombination, the main route to creating viruses and
bacteria
that cause disease epidemics. This was highlighted, in 2001, by the
‘accidental’
creation of a killer mouse virus in the course of an apparently innocent
genetic
engineering experiment.

Newer techniques, such as DNA shuffling are allowing geneticists to
create in a
matter of minutes in the laboratory millions of recombinant viruses that
have
never existed in billions of years of evolution. Disease- causing
viruses and
bacteria and their genetic material are the predominant materials and
tools for
genetic engineering, as much as for the intentional creation of bio-weapons.

10. Transgenic DNA in food taken up by bacteria in human gut

There is already experimental evidence that transgenic DNA from plants
has been
taken up by bacteria in the soil and in the gut of human volunteers.
Antibiotic
resistance marker genes can spread from transgenic food to pathogenic
bacteria,
making infections very difficult to treat.

11. Transgenic DNA and cancer

Transgenic DNA is known to survive digestion in the gut and to jump into
the
genome of mammalian cells, raising the possibility for triggering cancer.

The possibility cannot be excluded that feeding GM products such as
maize to
animals also carries risks, not just for the animals but also for human
beings
consuming the animal products.

12. CaMV 35S promoter increases horizontal gene transfer

Evidence suggests that transgenic constructs with the CaMV 35S promoter
might be
especially unstable and prone to horizontal gene transfer and
recombination,
with all the attendant hazards: gene mutations due to random insertion,
cancer,
reactivation of dormant viruses and generation of new viruses. This
promoter is
present in most GM crops being grown commercially today.

13. A history of misrepresentation and suppression of scientific evidence

There has been a history of misrepresentation and suppression of scientific
evidence, especially on horizontal gene transfer. Key experiments failed
to be
performed, or were performed badly and then misrepresented. Many
experiments
were not followed up, including investigations on whether the CaMV 35S
promoter
is responsible for the ‘growth-factor-like’ effects observed in young
rats fed
GM potatoes.

In conclusion, GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits and
are
posing escalating problems on the farm. Transgenic contamination is now
widely
acknowledged to be unavoidable, and hence there can be no co-existence
of GM and
non-GM agriculture. Most important of all, GM crops have not been proven
safe.
On the contrary, sufficient evidence has emerged to raise serious safety
concerns, that if ignored could result in irreversible damage to health
and the
environment. GM crops should be firmly rejected now.


Why Sustainable Agriculture?

1. Higher productivity and yields, especially in the Third World

Some 8.98 million farmers have adopted sustainable agriculture practices on
28.92 million hectares in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Reliable data
from 89
projects show higher productivity and yields: 50-100% increase in yield for
rainfed crops, and 5-10% for irrigated crops. Top successes include Burkina
Faso, which turned a cereal deficit of 644 kg per year to an annual
surplus of
153 kg; Ethiopia, where 12 500 households enjoyed 60% increase in crop
yields;
and Honduras and Guatemala, where 45,000 families increased yields from
400-600
kg/ha to 2 000-2 500 kg/ha.

Long-term studies in industrialised countries show yields for organic
comparable
to conventional agriculture, and sometimes higher.

2. Better soils

Sustainable agricultural practices tend to reduce soil erosion, as well as
improve soil physical structure and water-holding capacity, which are
crucial in
averting crop failures during periods of drought.

Soil fertility is maintained or increased by various sustainable
agriculture
practices. Studies show that soil organic matter and nitrogen levels are
higher
in organic than in conventional fields.

Biological activity has also been found to be higher in organic soils.
There are
more earthworms, arthropods, mycorrhizal and other fungi, and
micro-organisms,
all of which are beneficial for nutrient recycling and suppression of
disease.

3. Cleaner environment

There is little or no polluting chemical-input with sustainable
agriculture.
Moreover, research suggests that less nitrate and phosphorus are leached to
groundwater from organic soils.

Better water infiltration rates are found in organic systems. Therefore,
they
are less prone to erosion and less likely to contribute to water
pollution from
surface runoff.

4. Reduced pesticides and no increase in pests

Organic farming prohibits routine pesticide application. Integrated pest
management has cut the number of pesticide sprays in Vietnam from 3.4 to
one per
season, in Sri Lanka from 2.9 to 0.5 per season, and in Indonesia from
2.9 to
1.1 per season.

Research showed no increase in crop losses due to pest damage, despite the
withdrawal of synthetic insecticides in Californian tomato production.

Pest control is achievable without pesticides, reversing crop losses, as
for
example, by using ‘trap crops’ to attract stem borer, a major pest in East
Africa. Other benefits of avoiding pesticides arise from utilising the
complex
inter-relationships between species in an ecosystem.

5. Supporting biodiversity and using diversity

Sustainable agriculture promotes agricultural biodiversity, which is
crucial for
food security and rural livelihoods. Organic farming can also support much
greater biodiversity, benefiting species that have significantly declined.

Biodiverse systems are more productive than monocultures. Integrated
farming
systems in Cuba are 1.45 to 2.82 times more productive than monocultures.
Thousands of Chinese rice farmers have doubled yields and nearly
eliminated the
most devastating disease simply by mixed planting of two varieties.

Soil biodiversity is enhanced by organic practices, bringing beneficial
effects
such as recovery and rehabilitation of degraded soils, improved soil
structure
and water infiltration.

6. Environmentally and economically sustainable

Research on apple production systems ranked the organic system first in
environmental and economic sustainability, the integrated system second
and the
conventional system last. Organic apples were most profitable due to price
premiums, quicker investment return and fast recovery of costs.

A Europe-wide study showed that organic farming performs better than
conventional farming in the majority of environmental indicators. A
review by
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
concluded that
well-managed organic agriculture leads to more favourable conditions at all
environmental levels.

7. Ameliorating climate change by reducing direct & indirect energy use

Organic agriculture uses energy much more efficiently and greatly
reduces CO2
emissions compared with conventional agriculture, both with respect to
direct
energy consumption in fuel and oil and indirect consumption in synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides.

Sustainable agriculture restores soil organic matter content, increasing
carbon
sequestration below ground, thereby recovering an important carbon sink.
Organic
systems have shown significant ability to absorb and retain carbon,
raising the
possibility that sustainable agriculture practices can help reduce the
impact of
global warming.

Organic agriculture is likely to emit less nitrous oxide (N2O), another
important greenhouse gas and also a cause of stratospheric ozone depletion.

8. Efficient, profitable production

Any yield reduction in organic agriculture is more than offset by
ecological and
efficiency gains. Research has shown that the organic approach can be
commercially viable in the long- term, producing more food per unit of
energy or
resources.

Data show that smaller farms produce far more per unit area than the larger
farms characteristic of conventional farming. Though the yield per unit
area of
one crop may be lower on a small farm than on a large monoculture, the
total
output per unit area, often composed of more than a dozen crops and various
animal products, can be far higher.

Production costs for organic farming are often lower than for conventional
farming, bringing equivalent or higher net returns even without organic
price
premiums. When price premiums are factored in, organic systems are
almost always
more profitable.

9. Improved food security and benefits to local communities

A review of sustainable agriculture projects in developing countries
showed that
average food production per household increased by 1.71 tonnes per year
(up 73%)
for 4.42 million farmers on 3.58 million hectares, bringing food
security and
health benefits to local communities.

Increasing agricultural productivity has been shown to also increase food
supplies and raise incomes, thereby reducing poverty, increasing access
to food,
reducing malnutrition and improving health and livelihoods.

Sustainable agricultural approaches draw extensively on traditional and
indigenous knowledge, and place emphasis on the farmers’ experience and
innovation. This thereby utilises appropriate, low-cost and readily
available
local resources as well as improves farmers’ status and autonomy, enhancing
social and cultural relations within local communities.

Local means of sale and distribution can generate more money for the local
economy. For every £1 spent at an organic box scheme from Cusgarne Organics
(UK), £2.59 is generated for the local economy; but for every £1 spent at a
supermarket, only £1.40 is generated for the local economy.

10. Better food quality for health

Organic food is safer, as organic farming prohibits routine pesticide and
herbicide use, so harmful chemical residues are rarely found.

Organic production also bans the use of artificial food additives such as
hydrogenated fats, phosphoric acid, aspartame and monosodium glutamate,
which
have been linked to health problems as diverse as heart disease,
osteoporosis,
migraines and hyperactivity.

Studies have shown that, on average, organic food has higher vitamin C,
higher
mineral levels and higher plant phenolics – plant compounds that can fight
cancer and heart disease, and combat age-related neurological
dysfunctions – and
significantly less nitrates, a toxic compound.

Sustainable agricultural practices have proven beneficial in all aspects
relevant to health and the environment. In addition, they bring food
security
and social and cultural well-being to local communities everywhere.
There is an
urgent need for a comprehensive global shift to all forms of sustainable
agriculture.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article can be found on the I-SIS website at http://www.i-
sis.org.uk/ISPtoFAO.php <http://www.i- sis.org.uk/ISPtoFAO.php>

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