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EU – GM OK TO ENVIRONMENT
Europe: Study Shows GM OK to Environment
November. Source: CropBiotech Net, http://www.isaaa.org/kc
Data available so far provides no scientific evidence that the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has caused environmental harm. This was the conclusion of a study "Ecological impacts of GM crops: Experiences from 10 years of experimental field research and commercial cultivation", commissioned by the Swiss Expert Committee for Biosafety.
The study focused on insect resistance maize, herbicide tolerant soybean and soilseed rape, three of the major GM crops of significance for Swiss agriculture. Dr. Joerg Romeis of the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikan Research Station which conducted the study said that a number of issues related to the interpretation of scientific data on effects of GM crops on the environment were brought up. The study highlights these scientific debates and discusses the effects of GM crop cultivation on the environment considering the impacts caused by cultivation practices of modern agricultural systems.
Email Dr. Romeis at joerg.romeis@art.admin.ch for additional information and how to obtain a copy of the report.
Summary below:
Ecological Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops - Experiences from Ten Years of
Experimental Field Research and Commercial Cultivation.
- Sanvido, O., Stark, M., Romeis, J., Bigler, F. Swiss Expert Commitee for
Biosafety. 2006. October: 109 pages.
The global area planted with genetically modified (GM) crops has consistently increased each year since GM crops were first commercially cultivated in 1996 reaching 90 million hectares in 2005. GM crops are currently grown by 8.5 million farmers in 21 countries, where 90% of the farmers using the GM technology live in developing countries.
Five countries (USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and China) are growing nearly 95% of the total area of these crops and there are four main GM crops that are grown worldwide. Soybean is the principal GM crop occupying most of the global area, followed by maize, cotton and oilseed rape. Herbicide tolerance is the dominant trait that is deployed in all four crops, while maize and cotton are the only two insect resistant GM crops commercialized. Concerns have been raised that the commercial cultivation of GM crops could result in adverse effects on the environment.
Agroscope ReckenholzTänikon Research Station ART was commissioned by the Swiss Expert Committee for Biosafety to review the scientific knowledge on environmental impacts of GM crops deriving from ten years of worldwide experimental field research and commercial cultivation. The sources of information included peer-reviewed scientific journals, scientific books, reports from countries with extensive GM crop cultivation, as well as reports from international organizations.
For some of the questions addressed only limited information was available from commercial cultivation. Therefore most chapters of the study include to some extent scientific data deriving from large-scale experimental field research. The authors recognize that results from large-scale cultivation systems, as often characteristic in the countries growing GM crops, have to be transferred with care to small-scale agricultural systems like in Switzerland.
However, we believe that the worldwide scientific knowledge and the existing practical experiences should be taken into account for future decision making when discussing potential risks of field releases of GM crops in Switzerland.
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