Jul 25, 2006

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Bt maize research results

Diametrically opposed views

Last week, the environmental protection organisation Greenpeace presented a study summarising and evaluating results of research into genetically modified Bt maize Mon810. Summary: there is a high risk to nature, animals and humans. In a statement, Ingolf Schuphan (RWTH Aachen University) gives his summary of the results of the biological safety research projects on transgenic plants to which Greenpeace refers. Summary: Bt maize is biologically safe. Today, scientists at the Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) also distanced themselves from the study.

Bt maize is effective against the European corn borer, a small butterfly whose caterpillars eat their way through the plant stems, but does it also damage other butterflies and other organisms?

Mon810
The Bt maize Mon810 has a new gene which causes it to produce a substance, Bt toxin, which is effective against the European corn borer.

Mon810 was authorised in the EU in 1998 under the genetic engineering legislation in force at the time – both for cultivation and for food and feed. With the entry into force of new legislation in April 2004, the authorisation went through a notification process and is now also valid under the new law, but only until spring 2007.

For cultivation it also needs a cultivar release. Without the cultivar release, seed is not allowed onto the market. In Germany the first three Bt maize varieties were authorised only in December 2005. Five varieties have now been authorised, and eight more are being examined. For the 2004 and 2005 test plantings and for deliberate releases for safety research purposes, the Federal Office of Plant Varieties released limited seed quantities on the basis of special distribution licences.

In 2006, Bt maize is grown on approx. 950 hectares in Germany.

The results of ongoing research, including projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, on the biological safety of transgenic plants, provide evidence, according to Greenpeace, of effects on the whole ecosystem. Honey-bees, protected butterfly species and soil organisms in particular are, according to Greenpeace, directly threatened. Greenpeace believes that even with comprehensive studies it is impossible to estimate sufficiently or even monitor the complex environmental consequences of GM maize cultivation.

With the Mon810 licence expiring next spring, Greenpeace is demanding that the new approval be halted and that the maize be taken off the market. The authorisation authority is accused of failing to examine adequately the effects of GM maize on biological diversity in Europe.

Researchers distance themselves

Several group research projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Research (BMBF) have looked at possible environmental effects of genetically modified plants, including Bt maize, over the past few years. Greenpeace refers to the results of these projects, but frequently comes to different conclusions from the researchers themselves.

In a statement on the “state of knowledge regarding possible environmental effects of Bt maize” Ingolf Schuphan (RWTH Aachen University), the coordinator of the group project on “Safety research and monitoring for the cultivation of Bt maize (2001-2004)”, summarises the results again. His conclusion: “As a whole, the available results provide evidence of the biological safety of the Bt maize Mon810, in particular when compared with chemical insecticide treatment.”

In a press release, scientists at the Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) in Braunschweig have also distanced themselves from the Greenpeace study. Over several years, Christoph Tebbe and Susanne Baumgarte and their team investigated how long Bt toxin persists in the soil and whether impacts on soil micro-organisms can be expected. The results, according to the researchers, were unambiguous: Bt toxin did not affect insects and other small organims or the ecologically important soil micro-organisms. The Bt protein released from roots and plant remains was nowhere near enough to have a toxic effect on non-target organisms. According to Christoph Tebbe, Greenpeace has taken individual research findings out of context. “This gives the impression of a risk that is not actually present.” More from GMO Safety· The maize field ecosystem. Results of biosafety research (2001-2004): Bt maize and non-target organisms · Bt toxin and ecosystem. Results of biosafety research (2001-2004) · Interview with Ingolf Schuphan (RWTH Aachen University): “Any Bt effects that may exist are extremely minor.” · Bt toxin in the soil: “The Bt toxin does not simply disappear after harvesting.” · Sciarid fly larvae and Bt maize: “Developmental delays cannot be argued away” · Lacewings not in danger after all. Effect of Bt toxin on non-target organisms · When earthworms eat Bt maize. Safety research · Interview with Inge Broer (University of Rostock) on soil ecology