Studies inadequate to ensure safety
While the Greenpeace release below names GM eucalyptus as the first GM tree to be planted commercially, it seems China has commercialised GM insect-resistant poplar trees:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/008/ae574e/ae574e00.pdf
Prof Paulo Kageyama, member of Brazil's GMO regulatory body CTNBio, explains the dangers of the GM eucalyptus tree (in Portuguese):
http://pratoslimpos.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/banner_EUCALIPTO-TRANSGENICO.jpg
EXCERPT (item 2): Suzano argues that their new genetically engineered eucalyptus tree will result in a 20% increase in productivity and by introducing such trees, Suzano affirms it will need less land and could therefore reduce the use of chemical inputs and make more land available for food production.
That looks convincing. However, the experience in Brazil itself shows a quite different story… in the past decades the Brazilian eucalyptus trees that are used in industrial plantations succeeded to achieve a 60% increase in productivity per hectare (not using genetically engineered trees)… More important however is that the area covered by these plantations in the country never decreased for that particular reason.
1. Brazil evaluates release of transgenic eucalyptus
2. Will Brazil turn the country into a factory of genetically modified trees?
1. Brazil evaluates release of transgenic eucalyptus
Greenpeace, 4 Sept 2014
http://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/pt/Noticias/brasil-avalia-liberar-eucalipto-transgenico/
(In Portuguese; English translation by Google/GMWatch below)
* Variety developed by Futuragene/Suzano could be the first transgenic tree planted worldwide; presented studies are insufficient to ensure safety
Greenpeace today attended the public hearing on the transgenic eucalyptus held by CTNBio (National Technical Biosafety Commission). The meeting is part of the process of commercial release of the variety of genetically modified eucalyptus from Futuragene/Suzano Papel e Celulose, developed with the goal of producing more pulp in less time.
The hearing was attended by representatives of the companies involved, CTNBio members, independent scientists, representatives of Ministries, beekeepers and representatives of NGOs and social movements. If the request is approved by CTNBio, Brazil will be the first country to plant genetically modified trees on a commercial scale.
If the indiscriminate use of soy, corn, and cotton transgenics is worrisome, the application for commercial release made by Futuragene/Suzano increases the controversy further. Trees live much longer and are part of natural food chains and complex ecosystems, and therefore represent long-term environmental threats to ecosystems rich in biodiversity - threats that may be difficult (if not impossible) to predict and evaluate. The escape of pollen or seed genetically modified eucalyptus trees can endanger natural life.
"No wonder no country in the world has allowed the commercial planting of transgenic trees today," recalls Gabriela Vuolo, food and agriculture coordinator, Greenpeace Brazil campaign. "It is important that CTNBio has held this public hearing, because it became even clearer that the release of this GM variety of eucalyptus can bring very serious damage to the environment, the population and the economy," she adds.
During the hearing, several interventions emphasised the failure or inadequacy of the studies presented by Futuragene/Suzano. When asked, the company stated that it held, for example, specific studies to compare the water consumption of the transgenic variety with the conventional variety. Representative of Ministry of Environment stated that no long-term studies were presented, and noted that the effects of soy and GM corn in the medium and long term were not positive. It was emphasized also that the Convention on Biological Diversity, to which Brazil is a signatory, recommends caution regarding genetically modified trees.
The representative of the Ministry of Agrarian Development warned that studies conducted to evaluate the effects of eucalyptus on bees and honey production are unsatisfactory because it took into account only five hives in a single location. About 25% of the honey produced in Brazil comes from eucalyptus, and the research presented by Futuragene/Suzano does not assess the nutritional value of honey produced from GM pollen, either toxicity or allergenicity.
The Brazilian Association of Exporters of Honey (ABEMEL) expressed concern over the possible release: as there has been no approval of this variety anywhere else in the world, Brazilian exports of honey and propolis may be affected in a similar way to Mexican producers in 2011.
"Based on the studies presented, you cannot say that honey produced from these eucalyptus is safe for consumption," says Gabriela. And she asks: "What will happen to the 350,000 Brazilian beekeepers who rely on the production of honey to survive? And what about the production of organic honey, propolis, pollen and royal jelly? Release of the transgenic eucalyptus without these answers is foolhardy and irresponsible."
2. Will Brazil turn the country into a factory of genetically modified trees?
World Rainforest Movement, 6 June 2014
Will the Brazilian government give a permit to plant genetically modified eucalyptus trees on a commercial scale? That’s the breakthrough expected by Suzano, one of the biggest Brazilian pulp and paper companies, and its fully owned biotechnology firm Futuragene. To export pulp and to feed its paper mills in Brazil, the company has planted almost 400 thousand hectares of large-scale monoculture fast-growing eucalyptus plantations in seven Brazilian states.
Suzano's argument that this is a safe enough technology can be countered by the risks and especially the huge uncertainties that exist around this new technology which should at least postpone any introduction at commercial scale for now. Even the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that has seriously failed by allowing certification of millions of hectares of large-scale monoculture plantations in spite of the many negative social and environmental impacts, at least applies the rule that GE technology should not be used in certified plantations. At least for this reason then, FSC should decertify Suzano, an FSC-certified company.
But another argument deserves a strong and immediate reply: Suzano argues that their new genetically engineered eucalyptus tree will result in a 20% increase in productivity and by introducing such trees, Suzano affirms it will need less land and could therefore reduce the use of chemical inputs and make more land available for food production.
That looks convincing. However, the experience in Brazil itself shows a quite different story. According to EJOLT's report “A Global Overview of Industrial Tree Plantations”, in the past decades the Brazilian eucalyptus trees that are used in industrial plantations succeeded to achieve a 60% increase in productivity per hectare (not using genetically engineered trees), increasing from 27 m3/ha/year in the 1980s to 44 m3/ha/year currently. More important however is that the area covered by these plantations in the country never decreased for that particular reason. They actually increased from about 4 million hectares at the end of the 1980s to more than 7.2 million hectares today, and the Brazilian plantation industry plans to duplicate this area by 2020. The Brazilian “success story” of being the country with the highest wood productivity per hectare worldwide has never been a reason to use less land, on the contrary. Higher productivity gave these companies such an advantage that they expanded their plantations and pulp mills more and more, increasing their profits.
Suzano´s move to GE eucalyptus trees to increase productivity even more also attends its aim to explore a new use of its wood: producing pellets to be exported for energy production, to co-fire with coal in the UK. For this reason, Suzano has expanded its plantation in the Northeastern state of Maranhão over the past years, causing new conflicts with traditional communities that have been experiencing that their communal territories used for cattle grazing, fruit collection and other activities, get invaded by eucalyptus plantations. This has led to several conflicts, which gave reason to include Suzano in the recently launched EJOLT´s Atlas on Environmental Conflicts.
To summarize, Brazilian experience has learned that rather more than less lands will be occupied when productivity increases, and rather more than less conflicts will arise. Suzano´s demand for commercial planting of genetically modified eucalyptus trees led WRM, together with groups in Brazil and Latin America, to launch a letter to the Brazilian authorities to express their deep concern and urge the Brazilian government not to authorize the commercial release of yield enhanced genetically modified eucalyptus by Suzano/FuturaGene or by any other company that also has, or will present in future, a request for such a release.