Protesters moved from trial field in Braunschweig

vTI’s press relations officer, Dr Michael Welling, said the institute had nothing against peaceful demonstrations or vigils, but that the huge disruption to work at the site and damage to the field could no longer be tolerated. The argument constantly put forward by protesters that people do not know enough about the potential effects of genetic engineering in plants, does not make sense, claims Dr Welling, if at the same time protesters are trying to prevent the research needed to acquire this knowledge by occupying trial fields. The protesters freely admit that they are fundamentally opposed to genetic engineering in agriculture and are calling for an end to biosafety research.

The 2008-2011 project in Braunschweig is investigating potential environmental impacts of genetically modified maize. The variety being used in the trials is not MON 810, which was recently banned by Germany’s Agriculture Minister, Ilse Aigner. A joint research group made up of scientists from all over Germany is investigating a new Bt maize variety that is resistant to the two major maize pests: the European corn borer and the Western corn rootworm.

The Bt maize is being grown and compared with various conventional varieties in a field trial. The scientists are focusing in particular on whether cultivation of the Bt maize affects the incidence and number of small creatures in the maize field. One key area of research is looking at butterfly species that are common in agricultural landscapes and can come into contact with Bt maize pollen. The team is investigating how much maize pollen lands on their food plants in the vicinity of the maize field, how much Bt protein the caterpillars ingest via these food plants and whether any effects on their development can be observed.