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Analysing the GM Contamination Register

Analysing the GM Contamination Register. Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.gmcontaminationregister.org. Outline. Overview of the register Details of 2005 The Bt10 contamination episode Implications. About the GM Contamination Register. GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace

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Analysing the GM Contamination Register

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  1. Analysing the GM Contamination Register Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.gmcontaminationregister.org

  2. Outline • Overview of the register • Details of 2005 • The Bt10 contamination episode • Implications

  3. About the GM Contamination Register • GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace • Started in June 2004 - incidents recorded back to 1997 • Includes: • contamination food, feed, seed • illegal plantings or releases of GM organisms • negative agricultural side-effects

  4. To end of 2005 • 113 incidents: • 88 cases of contamination • 17 illegal releases • 8 reports of negative agricultural side-effects • 39 countries on five continents affected (twice number countries growing GM crops)

  5. 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

  6. GM Contamination Incidents by Country

  7. Incidents by crop • Over 90% of the 113 incidents were associated with the four major GM crops grown commercially: • maize (35%) • soybean (23%) • oilseed rape (18%) • cotton (9%)

  8. 2005 • In 2005, 11 countries and Europe as a whole were affected by 18 incidents • USA (2); Australia (4); Romania (3); Brazil; Germany; New Zealand; Japan; India; Ireland; China; Serbia; and Europe (one each) • 7 cases contamination; 8 illegal releases; 3 adverse agricultural impacts • GM maize(5); soybean (4); oilseed rape (3);cotton, plum, potato, zucchini and rice, one each

  9. Bt10 contamination incident • Syngenta’s GM Bt10 mistakenly grown for 4 years - muddled up with Bt11 • In official terms, this GM maize did not exist • Many dangerous genes being introduced into crops – coding for drugs or other biologically active compounds – that could easily escape detection

  10. Causes • GM contamination can arise at every stage of development – from the laboratory, to the field, to the plate • Cases of misidentification, poor quality control and lack of awareness of rules in laboratories - GM tomato, zucchini and maize seed distributed around the world and meat from GM pigs entering the food chain

  11. Causes • Cross-pollination and poor quality control have led to non-GM seed and food aid being contaminated • Illegal large-scale growing of GM crops in Brazil, India and Romania • Scientists conducting illegal trials or failing to contain them properly

  12. Conclusions • GM organisms can be out-of-control even when claimed to be ‘strictly contained’ • Controls on GMOs from the laboratory to the field are prone to failure • Countries and companies are unable to prevent illegal sales of GM crops • Human error likely • Risk assessments do not take these issues into account

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