Breaches Undermine Public and Investor Confidence in GM regulators
Recent incidents where GM regulations have been breached will only further weaken public confidence in the process
supposed to protect the food we eat. Lack of the correct signals from government also undermines appropriate investment
in the biotechnology sector. Investment needs to be channelled to ethical applications that can be properly controlled
or they will fail to find acceptance either by the public or our markets.
In the last few months it has been shown that there is a cavalier attitude by some scientists, who have overtly
disregarded safety controls on their experiments put in place by the regulatory authorities.
In April ERMA was notified that an experimental transgenic potato crop had been harvested by mechanical methods that
contravened the controls placed on the experiment. The result of this mechanical harvesting was to spread the buffer
plants outside the containment facility.
"Crop and Food deliberately contravened control 11, an ERMA ruling. This cavalier and shoddy attitude seriously
undermines their claims of caution and responsible scientific practice" said Claire Bleakley of GE Free NZ in food and
environment.
The Food Safety Authority have also recently admitted it did not require important evidence on BT11 corn, and approved
it without looking at the animal feeding results. However in April this year the French daily newspaper Le Monde
reported that a 90-day feeding trial by Monsanto showed differences in rats fed MON863, compared with those fed
conventional corn.
The effects included: significant increases in white blood cells in males; reduced levels of immature red blood cells in
females; significant increases in blood sugar in females; and, increased abnormalities such as degeneration or
inflammation in the kidneys of male rats.
Monsanto knew of the data but kept quiet about it.
"How can the public trust any company who wants to hide such significant data?" says Claire Bleakley. "Companies need to
be bought to account. It is time the government signalled to those wanting to invest in biotechnology that they must
focus on sustainable GE Free production and ethical uses of biotechnology in containment."