Austria withdraws study on the long-term consequences of GM maize

Austria has withdrawn a study on long-term feeding trials with mice. The study had caused quite a public stir since some of the mice that were fed with genetically modified maize gave birth to fewer offspring. The media and gene technology critics had interpreted the result as evidence of a reduced fertility caused by GM maize. The Austrian government had announced that the scientists commissioned to do the study failed to deliver a satisfactory report on this study, especially with respect to the statistical analysis of the data. Almost a year before, the committee had discussed the then newly published study and had come to the conclusion that the data did not allow any inferences to be drawn concerning the investigated GM maize, a cross between the maize lines NK603 and MON810. At that time, Austria had agreed to reappraise the statistical evaluation of the data. The news services are going a step further wrote "GM maize causes impotence”. In an experiment mice were fed over four generations with both diets. In the evaluation of the long-term study published at that time, the number of offspring in the third and fourth litters was less than for the control group fed with conventional feed.

GM bananas premiere in Australia

After a year of growth in far north Queensland, the first Australian GM bananas genetically modified to contain increased levels of pro-vitamin A and iron have been picked and tested. Planted in the South Johnstone area of Queensland, the GM bananas were part of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project to address mineral and vitamin deficiencies in human nutrition is East Africa. As a collaborative effort between the Austrailan Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Ugandan National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO). Genes developed in Australia are placed into varieties of East African banana.

Participating scientists from both institutions have expressed excitement over the first results. At least one combination of genes is said to be "working really well for pro-vitamin A", according to Professor James Dale from the QUT. The accumulation of iron in the fruit will be the subject of the next assessment. Professor Dale and Professor Wilberforce Tushemereirwe from NARO have both raised the possibility of micro-nutrient-enriched bananas reaching East African tables within five years.

  Debate over GM sugar beets: US court allows planting and harvest

Farmers in the USA will be allowed to plant GM sugar beets this year as planned and also market the derived sugar. An injunction filed by several environmental groups to prohibit commercial planting immediately due to inadequate clarification of cross-pollination risks was denied by a US court. An immediate ban on the commercial planting of GM sugar beets, which have been grown in the USA since 2007, would be economically unreasonable.. The organisations filing the injunction were too late for appropriate measures to be taken this planting season. The sugar beet seeds have already been planted, and it would not be reasonable to "pull them out of the ground or prevent the harvest from going to market."

In the USA almost all sugar beets are genetically modified. In 2009 they were planted on 475,000 hectares, producing half the US domestic sugar supply. An immediate ban on planting would have had a detrimental effect on the sugar supply and price.

In a preliminary decision court ordered the USDA to carry out an environmental impact assessment on the genetically modified beets. The plaintiffs were concerned about cross-pollination with conventional beets and related plant species such as mangold. In the meantime, the groups are suing the USDA with the aim of retracting the authorization granted in 2005.

Resistant pests found in India

Turkey Scientists working in the Indian state of Gujarat have discovered resistant pests in Bt cotton fields. Indian experts are now calling for more efficient measures to prevent or at least slow down a further spread of the resistance. So far, the only resistance to have emerged is resistance to the first generation of Bt cotton plants, which has been grown in India since 2002. Newer variants of Bt cotton have not yet been affected. Scientists from the companies Mahyco and Monsanto, the manufacturer of Bollgard, the GM cotton in question, have found resistant pests in four districts of Gujarat. The pest in question is the pink bollworm. Bollgard cotton contains the Bt protein Cry1Ac to protect it against pests. So far, no resistant pests have been found in any of the other eight Indian states growing Bt cotton.

The experts suspect that the emergence of resistant pests can be attributed to two causes. Firstly, they suspect that there were not enough refuge areas planted with conventional cotton varieties. Non-resistant pests can survive on these areas and keep down the numbers of resistant pests by breeding with them. Secondly, experts suspect that illegal cultivation of Bt cotton before it was officially approved by the Indian Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in 2002 could have played a part. It is possible that such plants would not have contained enough Bt protein, which would have encouraged the emergence of resistant pests.

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