1.GM rice can increase supplies - researchers
2.Statement on the potential allergenicity of the Bt toxin, Cry1Ac, in GM rice
GM WATCH COMMENT: Robert Zeigler, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has been busy punting GM rice on the sidelines of the current international rice conference in India.
According to the article below, Ziegler claimed China has already developed a GM rice variety that prevents insect losses and "it is perfectly safe to consume".
And yet research on GM cotton cultivation in China has already shown how a GM crop designed to prevent insect losses can fail, causing significant economic damage to the farmers growing it.
http://www.gmwatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=86&page=1
Still more disturbingly, the GM rice variety that Ziegler claims "is perfectly safe to consume"
contains a toxin with significant potential allergenicity, according to a statement by 3 leading international scientific experts - Professor Ian F.Pryme, Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, and Dr. Christian Velot.
They point out that this rice contains a gene for the Cry1Ac protein, or possibly for a fusion Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac protein with similar immunogenic properties to Cry1Ac3. Cry1Ac, the scientists write, "has not been approved for human consumption in any food crop and there is concern over its potential allergenicity." Research into the gene for Cry1Ac has found that "the Cry1Ac protoxin is a potent immunogen."
That Ziegler should punt an unapproved GM rice variety with such concerns surrounding it as "perfectly safe to consume" speaks volumes about his agenda and the nature of IRRI's commitment to GM rice.
IRRI's annual reports show it has benefitted for decades from grants from a whole array of US and European agrochemical and biotech corporations including Monsanto, Union Carbide Asia, Bayer Philippines, Ciba Geigy (later part of Novartis Seeds which is now part of Syngenta), Hoechst, and Cyanamid Far East.
And they have had a good return for their money. IRRI has been working on developing GM rice since as early as 1990 and it has been a key player in the (GM) Golden Rice project since 2001. In 2003, Gerard Barry, a leading Monsanto executive, was appointed Coordinator of the IRRI's Golden Rice Network 'to facilitate the development and deployment' in Asian countries of the GM rice.
Ziegler's comments suggest some at IRRI are prepared to 'facilitate the development and deployment' of GM rice regardless of the consequences.
For a detailed profile of IRRI:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=296&page=I
For the scientists' full statement and references, see item 2 below.
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1.GM rice can increase supplies - researchers
By Sameer Mohindru IoL (South Africa), October 11 2006
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw116051652115B25
New Delhi - Genetically modified rice holds the key to meeting the growing global demand for rice, provided producers and governments adequately address concerns about biosafety, the chief of the world's premier rice research body said on Tuesday.
Work toward developing genetically modified rice is taking place in several countries and can make a huge difference in global supplies, Robert Zeigler, Director General of the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute said.
He said the demand for global rice is increasing two percent annually and could rise 50 percent by 2025 from the current consumption of 615-million metric tons a year.
Zeigler said only around seven percent of the world's rice production is globally traded and the rest is consumed locally. In such circumstances, if large countries like China and India begin to import huge volumes of rice in the future, the already thin global trade in rice will get further stretched.
"Any large scale increase in demand can have serious impact on rise in prices of rice and even make it unaffordable for poor countries such as Bangladesh and those in Africa," Zeigler told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of an international conference here.
But there is strong opposition to genetically modified rice in some European countries, and environmental groups have expressed concerns that genetic modification poses risks to the environment and traditional crops.
Devinder Sharma, a New Delhi-based food policy analyst, said farmers in Philippines, Indonesia, India and Vietnam have been able to increase rice yields by resorting to organic farming and not using pesticides.
Sharma cautioned that genetically modified crops could expose humans to ecological and health risks.
Zeigler said China has already developed such a rice variety that prevents insect losses and "it is perfectly safe to consume". But the Chinese government has yet to allow commercial planting of this variety, Zeigler said. - Sapa-AP
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2.Scientists' statement from:
Professor Ian F.Pryme, Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, Dr. Christian Velot
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7023
Original at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/ScientistStatementHealthConcernsGErice
Statement on the potential allergenicity of the Bt toxin, Cry1Ac
We, the undersigned, note with concern the recent discoveries of contamination of rice1 and rice products, including baby food2, with an experimental genetically engineered (GE) rice. The GE rice contains a gene for the Cry1Ac protein, or possibly for a fusion Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac protein with similar immunogenic properties to Cry1Ac3.
Cry1Ac has not been approved for human consumption in any food crop and there is concern over its potential allergenicity.
Research4 into the gene for Cry1Ac has found that
1. Cry1Ac protoxin is a potent immunogen.
2. The protoxin is immunogenic by both the intraperitoneal (injected) and intragastric (ingested) route. 3. The immune response to the protoxin is both systemic and mucosal. 4. Cry1Ac protoxin binds to surface proteins in the mouse small intestine, and this could induce mid or long-term effects on mammalian health.
Therefore, we urge the developers and regulatory authorities of this GE rice to proceed with caution with the use of the gene for the Cry1Ac in any part of the genetic construct within the GE rice. It is possible that humans, in particular sub-populations such as infants and small children could be exposed to immunogenically-significant amounts of Cry proteins contained in foods.
A thorough evaluation of its food safety prior to any import, consumption, approval or further development of this GE rice would be necessary as rice is a staple food crop. Studies following the steps recommended by the FAO/WHO expert consultation5 to evaluate allergenicity should be conducted by independent scientists, and their results published in peer-reviewed journals to allow evaluation of food safety. In addition, further studies into the potential allergenicity of Cry1Ac and other Bt proteins should be undertaken as a matter of the utmost urgency.
Signed
Pr. Gilles-Eric Seralini
President du Conseil Scientifique
du CRII GEN
Universite de Caen
France
Pr. Ian F.Pryme
Dept. of Biomedicine
University of Bergen
Norway
Dr. Christian Velot
Conseil Scientifique du CRII GEN
Institut de Genetique et Microbiologie
Universite Paris-Sud
France
1. Zi, X. (2005) GM rice forges ahead in China amid concerns over illegal planting. Nature Biotechnology 23: 637.
2. http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/press/releases/20060314-heinz-rice-cereal
3. Tu, J., Zhang, G., Datta, K., Xu, C., He, Y. Zhang, O., Khush, G. & Datta, S.K. (2000) Field performance of transgenic elite commercial hybrid rice expressing Bacillus thuringiensis-endotoxin. Nature Biotechnology 18: 1101-1104.
4 Moreno-Fierros, L. Garcia, N. Gutierrez, R. Lopez-Revilla, & R. Vazquez-Padron, RI.(2000) Intranasal, rectal and intraperitoneal immunization with protoxin Cry1Ac from Bacillus thuringiensis induces compartmentalized serum, intestinal, vaginal and pulmonary immune responses in Balb/c mice. Microbes Infect 2: 885-90; Vazquez-Padron, R.I, Moreno-Fierros, L. Neri-Bazan, L, de la Riva, G.A & Lopez-Revilla, R. (1999) Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac protoxin is a potent systemic and mucosal adjuvant. Scand J Immunol 49: 578-584; Vazquez-Padron, R.I Moreno-Fierros, L. Neri-Bazan, L, de la Riva, G.A & Lopez-Revilla, R. (1999) Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis induces systemic and mucosal antibody responses in mice. Life Sciences 64: 1897-1912; Vazquez-Padron, R. I., Moreno-Fierros, L. Neri-Bazan. L. MartÃnez-Gil, A.F., de la Riva, G.A. & Lopez-Revilla, R. (2000) Characterization of the mucosal and systemic immune response induced by Cry1Ac protein from Bacillus thuringiensis HD 73 in mice. Braz J Med Biol Res 33: 147-155; Vazquez-Padron, R. I., Gonzales-Cabrera, J., Garcia-Tovar, C. Neri-Bazan, L., Lopez-Revilla, R., Hernandez, M., Moreno-Fierros, L. & de la Riva.G.A. (2000) Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis sp. kurstaki HD73 binds to surface proteins in the mouse small intestine. Biochem Biophys Res Comms 271: 54-58. Guerrero, G. G., Dean, D.H. & Moreno-Fierros, L. (2004) Structural implication of the induced immune response by Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins: role of the N-terminal region. Molecular Immunology 41: 1177 1183.
5. FAO/WHO 2001. Evaluation of allergenicity of genetically modified foods. Report of a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on allergenicity of foods derived from biotechnology, 22 25 January 2001. Rome, Italy.