Brussels, Belgium — A study published today by the Austrian government identified serious health threats of genetically modified (GM) crops.
In one of the very few long-term feeding studies ever conducted with GM crops, the fertility of mice fed with GM maize was found to be severely impaired, with fewer offspring being produced than by mice fed on natural crops. Considering the severity of the potential threat to human health and reproduction, Greenpeace is demanding a recall of all GM food and crops from the market, worldwide.
The study, sponsored by the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health, was presented earlier this week at a scientific seminar in Vienna, Austria. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Zentek, Professor for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Vienna and lead author of the study, summarised the findings: Mice fed with GM maize had less offspring in the third and fourth generations, and these differences were statistically significant. Mice fed with non-GM maize reproduced more efficiently. This effect can be attributed to the differences in the food source.
"GM food appears to be acting as a birth control agent, potentially leading to infertility - if this is not reason enough to close down the whole biotech industry once and for all, I am not sure what kind of disaster we are waiting for," said Dr. Jan van Aken, GMO expert at Greenpeace International. "Playing genetic roulette with our food crops is like playing Russian roulette with consumers and public health".
The Austrian scientists performed several long-term feeding trials with laboratory mice over a course of 20 weeks. One of the studies was a so-called reproductive assessment by continuous breeding (RACB) trial, in which the same parent generation gave birth to several litters of baby mice. The parents were fed either with a diet containing 33% of a GM maize variety (NK 603 x MON 810), or a closely related non-GM variety. A decrease in litter size and weight was found to be statistically significant in the third and fourth litters in the GM-fed mice compared to the control group.
Owned by Monsanto, the GM maize variety tested in this study is tolerant to a herbicide and resistant to certain insect pests. It has been approved for planting and food use in a variety of countries, including the US, Argentina, Japan, Philippines and South Africa. In Mexico and the European Union, it is approved for food and feed use.
In 2005, the European Food Safety Agency EFSA gave a green light for this variety. Without conducting any independent studies and just relying on Monsanto´s data, EFSA wrote it "considers it unlikely that NK603 x MON810 maize will have any adverse effect on human and animal health". This exemplifies how flawed and ill-designed the European risk assessment for GM crops is.
"EFSA gave the thumbs up for a GM variety that now proves to be a potentially dangerous health threat. How can you simply rely on Monsanto´s data and give a green light? EFSA´s GMO panel should be immediately put on hold and reformed substantially until it will be able to really assess the risks posed by GMOs. EFSA must transform into an agency that protects consumers, and not Monsanto´s interests", said Myrto Pispini, Greenpeace International agriculture campaigner.
"This study is yet another example that the food and feed safety of GM crops and food cannot be guaranteed. The reproductive toxicity of this GE maize was a totally unexpected result, but regulators around the world had considered this GE maize variety as safe as non-GM varieties - a potentially devastating error,"said Dr. van Aken.
The study can be downloaded at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/press-centre/reports/Biological-effects-of-transgenic-maize-NK603xMON810
Other contacts:
Mark Breddy – Greenpeace EU communications manager:
+32 (0)2 274 1 903, +32 (0)496 15 62 29 (mob.)
