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Moderated conference on GMOs in the pipeline, hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum in 2012

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Biotech-Mod2 <[log in to unmask]>
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Biotech-Mod2 <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:44:49 +0100
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[Thanks to Tom Nickson for the message below. Note, in Message 21 by Pascal Tillie, one of the references provided was Abhary et al. (2011), about GM cassava with increased protein content. A participant has kindly pointed out that this paper was recently retracted by the authors (http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/gm-crops/news/gm-cassava-study-retracted-over-missing-data.html). Pascal indicates that it is not clear whether the work on this particular kind of GM cassava is still ongoing or has been terminated...Moderater].

This is Tom Nickson again. 

I think the discussion on Bt Brinjal is very relevant for this conference because it is one (rare) case of a GM crop developed for a developing world agricultural system by a company in the developing world. Others have pointed out the controversy associated with this product. In particular, we've heard from Neha Saigal (Message 23) and Pushpendra Gupta (Message 19).  

I made an inquiry of Mahyco, the developers of Bt Brinjal, to see if they were following this conference. Unfortunately, they were not registered, but asked if I would forward a statement on their behalf. They state:

"Mahyco developed insect-resistant brinjal or eggplant in order to provide India's 1.4 million brinjal farmers an alternative to chemical control methods for the devastating fruit and shoot borer (FSB). Bt brinjal has undergone more that 25 biosafety tests, and about 60 field trials during its development. Socioeconomic and efficacy studies have shown that farmers will benefit by reducing pesticide application for FSB by 70 % and doubling their marketable yields. In Oct 2009, Bt brinjal was approved as safe for release in the environment by the Indian regulators. The decision to place a moratorium on its commercial release was not based on the scientific evidence available, and has denied Indian farmers an opportunity to reduce chemical pesticide use on brinjal, and consumers a healthier alternative at the table."

The story of Bt Brinjal in India highlights the complexities and challenges faced by developers in getting GM crops to farmers in some developing countries.  Even after completing regulatory processes, political processes at high levels within the government can become effectively an additional hurdle to market.

For more information, see http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-10/news/29643017_1_bt-brinjal-bt-counterparts-multi-location-research-trials 

Thomas E. Nickson, Ph.D.
International Policy Lead
Monsanto Law Department E1NH
800 N. Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63167
United States
www.monsanto.com 
www.isbr.info 
office:  314-694-2179
cell:      314-422-8635
fax:     314-694-1622
e-mail: thomas.nickson (at) monsanto.com 

[To contribute to this conference, send your message to [log in to unmask] For further information on this FAO Biotechnology Forum, see http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-forum/]

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