France: cultivation ban on MON810 maize
France has deferred cultivation approval for the genetically modified Bt maize MON810, pending a review of the approval by the relevant European authorities. The government in Paris has invoked a safeguard clause enshrined in EU law, whilst at the same time announcing an eightfold increase in funding for agro-biotechnology research to 45 million euros.
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According to Article 23 of the EU Deliberate Release Directive (2001/18), a member state may suspend European approval of a genetically modified organism (GMO ) if it has been presented with new scientific evidence about its effects on the environment or human health. The French government believes this is the case with MON810. The government had already imposed a cultivation ban on this Bt maize variant in autumn 2007. It then instructed a committee consisting of scientists, farmers, politicians and NGOs to examine the scientific evidence. Last week the committee submitted its findings to the environment minister Jean-Louis Borloo. The chairman of the committee, UMP politician Jean-François Le Grand, spoke of "serious doubts" about the safety of MON810. He announced that a wealth of new scientific evidence relating to negative impacts on flora and fauna had been gathered. His presentation, however, was contradicted by members of the 34-strong committee. A group of twelve scientists and two economists accused Le Grand of failing to present the conclusions objectively. At the end of its four-page recommendations, the committee concludes simply that questions remain unanswered about the impact of the cultivation and sale of MON810 on the environment, health and the economy. The phrase "serious doubts" does not appear in the report. |
Committee sees unanswered questions and the need for further research
In specific terms, the committee discovered that new scientific evidence about the spread of pollen over large distances had come to light since MON810 was approved in 1998. Resistance had also been found in two species of butterfly which are classed as secondary target organisms. More recent findings confirmed the possibility of long-term toxic effects on earthworms, woodlice, nematodes and monarch butterflies.
Furthermore, the committee believes that questions remain unanswered about what happens to Bt toxin in the environment. However, the committee also remarked that a considerably greater reduction in harmful mycotoxin levels in maize could be achieved with the use of MON810 compared with pesticides. The committee sees a need for further research into the molecular and biochemical properties of the Bt protein in genetically modified maize, methods of toxicological and eco-toxicological assessment, and biological and epidemiological monitoring. It further maintains that the economic impact of the cultivation of genetically modified maize should be studied in more detail.
EFSA: safety of MON810 tested and confirmed several times
Whether France can successfully defend its national safeguard measures in Brussels will become apparent. Austria and Hungary have also declared national bans on MON810, in each case invoking the safeguard clause.
In Germany the agriculture minister, Horst Seehofer, revoked marketing approval for MON810 seed in April 2007. This decision was reversed in December when Monsanto, the seed manufacturer, submitted a monitoring plan. As a result, the cultivation of MON810 maize has now resumed in Germany.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has since tested the safety of MON810 several times and confirmed it on each occasion. Most recently on 22/23 November 2007, the EFSA committee examined a recent American study which raised the question of how far the Bt toxin produced in MON810 can spread via bodies of moving water and whether it could be harmful to caddis flies living in rivers and streams. EFSA experts established that Bt concentrations in rivers and streams beside Bt maize fields are so negligible that any adverse effects can be ruled out.
Around 22,000 hectares of MON810 maize was grown in France last year. The French senate plans to deliberate on a new genetic engineering act on 5 February.
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