GMOs and Risk Assessment

1. GMOs and Risk Assessment Philip J Dale John Innes Centre, Norwich UK John Innes Centre

2. Introduction • We can now introduce genes into crops from different organisms • New opportunities to modify crops • Responsibilities to regulate / manage • GM crops assessed in the context of growing awareness of the impact of agriculture on environment

3. Talk about • GM breeding in context • Assessing risk/safety • gene transfer by pollen / non-target effects / Indirect effects / measuring environmental impact • Conclusions

4. What is GM? • Conventional breeding - genes moved into crops by pollination • genes from related plant species • GM breeding - genes moved into crops from any class of organism • wider choice of genes for crop improvement

5. GM breeding in context • Conventional breeding use: • wide hybridisation • overcomes sexual barriers • transfer 1000-4000 genes • donor species weeds/toxins • mutagenesis • chemical & irradiation • random process • polyploidy • doubles the amount of DNA in each cell

6. Assessing risk to human health & the environment International agreement to consider: • Function of gene in donor organism • Function of gene in modified plant • Toxicity & allergenicity • Non-target effects* • Indirect effects* • Weediness & invasiveness • Gene transfer*

7. Gene transfer by pollen Russell Parkinson Jodi Scheffler

8. Distance of pollination

9. Pollination distance data Brassica napus

10. Sexual compatibility with Brassica napus B. rapa B. juncea B. oleracea B. carinata B. nigra B. adpressa Raphanus raphanistrum Diplotaxis erucoides Diplotaxis muralis Sinapis alba Sinapis arvensis Pollinate in field F2 progeny Manual pollination Backcross progeny Field+MS B. napus Manual pollination very difficult

11. Natural Brassica populations Catherine Moyes

12. Non-target effects • Monarch Butterfly • Bt corn pollen on milkweed • Reported - effect in experiment • Not borne out in field test • Baseline for non-target effects?

13. Indirect effects • Change in agricultural practice associated with a GM crop • Agricultural practice had big effect on wildlife over past 30 years • What effect will GM weed/pest/disease control have on wildlife? • How do we assess impact on the environment?

14. Farm Scale Trials • Large scale field trials in the UK over 4 years • Assess impact on indicator species • Weeds (grasses & broadleaf) • Weight of foliage, flowers & stems • Assess seed production • Animal wildlife • Butterflies, bees, ground beetles, springtails, true bugs, spiders • Birds and mammals not studied – plots not sufficiently extensive.

15. Farm Scale Trials • Compare GM crop with non-GM crop • Examine any differences • How do we decide on acceptability • Statistical significance = environmental significance? • Assess impact on wildlife per se? • Which impacts are acceptable/unacceptable • Depends on our vision for agriculture & the environment over the coming decades.

16. Conclusions • Careful risk assessment • GM assessed in context • Assessment - scientifically informed • Gaps in knowledge - evolving science • Indirect effects, wildlife, monitoring. • GM crops, like all crops, potential to aggravate or alleviate the environment

17. Conclusions • Aggravate by: • Driving agriculture further towards monoculture and clinical control of the agricultural environment • Alleviated by: • Breeding for targeted pest & disease resistance. Minimising non-target effects. Reducing dependence on certain chemical inputs. • GM crops innately neither good nor bad • The challenge is in how we use them!