The inevitability of GM contamination

Dr Janet CotterGreenpeace Science Unit

Exeter University, UK

Outline

• Cases of GM contamination– from experimental field trials– from commercial plantings

• Impossibility of coexistence: canola

Rice LL601 (Bayer, US 2006)• Bayer reported US rice was contaminated

with an experimental herbicide tolerant GE variety, LL601.

• The following year, a similar contamination incident was discovered with LL604, another type of experimental GE rice from Beyer.

• Route of contamination unknown. Bayer suggests “Hand of God”

Costs : US 1 billion – mostly to farmers who then have to sue the developer for compensation

Other cases of GM contamination• GM pharm crops (2002)

– Traces of GM corn for pig vaccine were found in soy grown on former test plots in Nebraska.

– USDA imposed a $250,000 fine.• Papaya in Thailand (2004)

– Government undertook extensive testing and destruction programme

• Maize Bt10 (2005)– Syngenta's illegal Bt10 GE maize entered the European

feed chain. Syngenta’s quality control procedures unable to differentiate between Bt10 (approved) Bt11.

GM Contamination from field trials

• Several cases of contamination from field trials.• In many cases, route of contamination not known, but mix ups and human error important.• Expensive!

Contamination cases also from commercial GM crops:

Starlink (2001)• GM corn approved only for animal feed found

in hundreds of food products.• Forced to remove StarLink from sale. Formal

recall order for all 350,000 acres of StarLink corn planted. Exports to Japan21 and Korea were contaminated.

• Costs are estimated to have been around $1 billion US.

Impossible Co-existence

Even though a mall acreage, there are conflicts:

“The liability scheme is perceived as transferring the problem to the organic farmers. As a result, many farmers are reluctant to publicly report cases of contamination in a context where there is a need for social cohesion, as in small villages….Consequently, data on admixture cases are not systematically registered, although the organic certification is withdrawn in these cases”.

Problems with GM maize in Spain

Problems of with GM maize in Spain (cont.)

• Organic farming is diminishing as a result of GM contamination:“the area devoted to organic maize was reduced by 75% in Aragon [where GM Bt maize is concentrated].”

Oil seed rape (canola) + wheat

Canola- impossible to control

Many scientific studies

• Documented feral populations of GM canola in US and Canada• Persistence of seeds means difficult for farms to be free of GM canola once grown.• Cases in Australia: floods, spillages and mix ups.

Importance of feral populations• Appear within a few years of starting GM

cultivation• Stacked traits where more than one type

of GM herbicide tolerant canola grown – difficult to control

• Act as a reservoir for GM genes for contamination

• Year-on-year contamination increases

In Japan, escaped GM oil seed rape formed feral populations.

Can form reservoir of GM genes to contaminated any neighbouring crops

Although predominately self-pollinating, there will be contamination of wheat

“Adventitious presence of nontransgenic herbicide resistant wheat seed was detected from both certified and farm-saved seed producers… higher levels of adventitious seed presence were associated with volunteer plants from previous crops of the resistant cultivar and mechanical mixture during harvesting.”

Summary• Many cases of GM contamination, including from experiments.• Cross-pollination may be one route, but there are many more: mixing of seed, spillages etc.• Co-existence is impossible•There will be GM contamination if GM crops are grown.