BioLines
Vol. 43 Sep 2003 Editor: M. Koch |
|
AfricaBio Biotechnology
Stakeholders Association
Tel: 012 667 2689 Fax: 012 667 1920
www.africabio.com |
|||
|
BioLines is AfricaBio’s ‘Biotechnology
Headlines’ – a quick guide to what is topical. By design, the articles are
not exhaustive, but references are given to follow up points of interest. Let
us know what you like and dislike about BioLines and what you want to see as part of
this service. Articles are edited to meet space requirements. It is not the
intention of this service to infringe on copyright. Biolines is issued free of charge
and every effort is made to acknowledge the source of information. |
|||||
|
CONTENTS:
________________________________________________________________________________ |
|||||
African scientists find that GM foods
pose no risk to humans or animals
The Biotech Advantage, 13 Aug 03
GMOs pose no immediate risk to humans or animals, says
a 14-member team of African scientists after returning from a fact-finding trip
to the
Despite the thousands of random changes
created every day in the DNA of a human cell by heat energy and metabolic
accidents, only a few stable changes (mutations) accumulate in the DNA
sequence of an average cell in a year. We now know that fewer than one in a
thousand accidental base changes in the DNA causes a mutation: the rest are
eliminated with remarkable efficiency by DNA repair.” Molecular Biology of the
Cell, 1994, Garland Publishing, Inc.
“THE STABILITY OF GENES DEPENDS ON DNA
REPAIR
USDA requires permits for industrial biotech
crops
Randy Fabi, Aug 03, http://www.planetark.org
Biotech companies will have to obtain a federal permit
before growing experimental plants engineered for industrial purposes like
making paper, detergent and minerals, the US Agriculture Department said. Until
now, companies have not been required to get government permission before launching
Some
companies are experimenting with industrial biotech crops to help manufacture a
variety of products including paper, detergent and minerals. These crops are
not approved for human or animal food. The USDA said companies must now obtain
a government permit to move, field test or import industrial biotech crops. The
department had regulated these crops under a notification process used for
plants considered low risk and that had widely known genetic modifications. The
department said companies were beginning to experiment with less familiar
biotech traits in these crops. Meghan Thomas, spokeswoman for USDA's Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said requiring permits would help the
USDA keep a closer eye on the experimental crops. "This interim rule
strengthens APHIS regulations for field testing of GE industrial plants in
anticipation of an increase in requests to move, import or field test these
types of plants," the USDA said. The USDA said the rule will be published
in the Federal Register and will be effective immediately.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization, which
represents companies developing new gene-spliced products, said it welcomed the
new rule. The Grocery Manufacturers of America and the National Food Processors
Association said they supported USDA's action, but that it wasn't enough.
"While it's a step in the right direction, the first and absolute main
concern of our companies is maintaining the security of our food supply,"
said Stephanie Childs, spokeswoman for the trade group. The food groups urged
the Bush administration to impose a strict regulatory programme that places safeguards
throughout the food system. In March, the USDA imposed tougher rules on
planting industrial and pharmaceutical crops after a
Vatican mulls view change
on GMOs
Eric J.
Lyman, United Press International, 8 Aug 03, http://www.upi.com/
(shortened)
The Vatican appears to be reversing its opposition to the use of GM foods, unexpectedly
thrusting the Holy See into the debate on the subject raging between the US and
the EU. A full
In 2000, for example, Pope John Paul II, speaking at a special Vatican mass
dedicated to agriculture, called on farmers to "resist the temptation of
high productivity and profit that work to the detriment of the respect of
nature," adding that "when (farmers) forget this basic principle and
become tyrants of the earth rather than its custodians ... sooner or later the
earth rebels."
Less than a year later, Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, the Vatican's permanent
observer to the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization, formally asked
the institution to monitor the spread of GM crops in Europe and to support
tighter controls on the technology. Several times in recent years, bishops have
made statements saying genetically modifying food was the same as tampering
with God's work.
The
latest statements on the subject, however, represent a dramatic change from
those stances. In a statement to United Press International, Archbishop Renato
Martino, head of the pontifical council for Justice and Peace, said the pope is
"greatly interested in new technologies for food development as part of a policy
of sustainable agriculture ... (and that he) ardently desires to do something
for the billions of people who go to bed hungry every night." Martino also
said there is biblical support for the new view, offering that "the Book
of Genesis clearly establishes the domination of man over nature ... God has
entrusted mankind to preserve nature but also to use it."
A related statement, obtained by United Press International, from Monsignor
Velasio De Paolis, a professor of canon law at the
When the
Snippet: GMO Testing Facility for A new facility based at the
Kenyan parliamentarians chat the way forward for the country's Biosafety
Bill
Catherine
Ngamau, AgBioView, 14 Aug 03 http://www.agbioworld.org/,
Kenya Biotechnology Information Centre (KBIC),
To exploit biotechnology and products of genetic engineering there is need for
an appropriate bio-policy and a legal framework that ensures the safe use of
such products and environmental protection. A Bill relating to bio-policy and
bio-safety for the exploitation of biotechnology and
products of genetic engineering has been drafted for discussion in the Kenyan
Parliament. However, the members of parliament need support and facilitation to
understand the context to enable them to discuss the issues of biotechnology
more broadly. It is with this goal that ABSF in collaboration with Tuskegee
University (USA) and the National Council of Science and Technology (NCST)
organised a 2-day (4th &
Overall
this workshop attracted over 150 Participants, which included about 30 members
of the Kenyan parliament, 18 representatives from different countries in Africa
with resource persons drawn from Tuskegee University (USA), New Zealand,
University of Agricultural sciences (India), National Agricultural Research
Organisation (Uganda), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Attorney Generals
Chambers (Kenya), ISAAA AfriCenter, International Livestock Research Institute
(Kenya), Biotechnology Trust Africa, A-Harvest, CIMMYT among others. The
workshop presentations revolved around the developments in biotechnology and
biosafety policy, biotechnology strategies impacting on agricultural production
and brief remarks by the Kenyan parliamentarians. In his opening remarks, Hon.
P. Ayiecho acknowledged the role of GM in food security in
The minister for livestock and rural development Hon. Joseph Munyao, in his
closing remarks, encouraged the participants to synthesize the draft Bill and
liase with the chief whip Hon. Norman Nyaga, who was also present, to
coordinate and mobilise parliamentary support. He emphasized
the need for embracing biotechnology as a tool for development. Based on
contributions, observations and questions raised by participants it was
apparent that the level of understanding of biotechnology is still very low.
Expression of fear due to lack of information was apparent among
parliamentarians. However, after presentations and discussions the majority of
the MPs appreciated the efforts made by African scientists and expressed
confidence on the role that biotechnology could play in enhancing the
Agricultural output.
As a way
forward the MPs challenged the scientists and ABSF to bridge the gap between
them by consistently interacting with them. This they said would help them
contextualise the real issues in biotechnology, which would make it easier for
them to support the Biosafety Bill. This they observed would also be
instrumental in enhancing lobbying government support for research and development.
The MPs strongly felt there was need for provision of more information on
biotechnology and biosafety.
·
Need for further exposure in the area of biotechnology for
the parliamentarians and public in general.
·
Need for travelling workshops for the MPs in order for
them to appreciate impacts of biotechnology. (Travelling workshops especially
to countries that have already adopted and implemented agric-biotechnology e.g.
SA,
·
Need to address the concerns already expressed about GM.
·
An intensive session, outside
Visits to labs in the country undertaking molecular biology research.
·
Field days with farmers having biotech projects like TC
products, clonal forestry etc.
·
Need to support scientists in lobbing government for
increased funding for biotechnology research.
Judge lifts Brazilian
court ban on GM Seeds
The
Wall Street Journal-Associated Press, 13 Aug 03. From AgBioView 14 Aug 03
(shortened)
A federal
judge Tuesday lifted a ban preventing
company's victory could be short-lived. Two other judges who serve on her appeals
panel could reverse the decision, effectively putting back in place the ban
approved in 2000. Monsanto wants the seeds legalized to recoup lost profits
from widespread illicit use in
Environmentalists,
including Greenpeace, oppose the use of GM seeds because of suspicions they
could harm the environment. Monsanto in June warned about 250 exporters that
buy Brazilian soybeans and 150 importers that the company would soon start
monitoring exports of crops grown with the illicit seeds. The move came as the
struggling St. Louis-based company is shifting its
business focus from manufacturing herbicides to developing and selling GM seeds
around the world. It has complained bitterly for years about Brazilian farmers
using Monsanto's technology without
paying for it. Monsanto has also been lobbying the Brazilian government to legalize
GM crops.
Bio-tech potato may
solve many problems
Dennis
T. Avery, Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee) 10 Aug 03
It likely will break the selfish hearts of America's personal injury lawyers
and Europe's eco-activists, but the answer to the world's obesity problem may
soon be a visit to a nearby McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's. Biotechnology
has just produced another massive breakthrough for world food security in the
form of a blight-proof, diet-enhancing potato. Researchers used biotech to
insert a gene from a wild Mexican potato to create the first high-yield potato
with complete resistance to late
blight. Late blight is the terrible epidemic disease that starved a million
Irish farmers to death in the 1840s and drove another million refugees or so to
In the first wave of publicity, the British Broadcasting Corp. got the news
wrong again, perhaps, because of its European anti-biotech bias. The BBC
announced that "scientists have discovered a gene which protects potatoes
from blight." Plant explorers actually discovered the blight-resistant
wild potato nearly 50 years ago, but plant breeders couldn't successfully cross
it with the domestic varieties that tasted good, baked well and made golden french fries. Only biotech could turn the wild gene into
protection for future harvests. Both the
The UC/Davis team hopes to begin
field tests next year.
In
The anti-biotech activists, being at least nominally environmentalists, may be
slightly impressed by the amount of pesticide spraying the biotech potatoes
could forestall. Potato growers will likely cut their currently heavy fungicide
and insecticide use by 80% with the biotech potatoes.
This technological leap will ultimately allow us to produce still more food
from even less land, using fewer chemicals. So in the crowded, affluent world
of the 20th century, there'll be a bit more room for the wildlife the activists
and the rest of us are pledged to protect. With the advent of famine-proof
low-fat biotech potatoes, the question is no longer whether biotech crops are
good for the planet and its people. The question is now what the activists,
being activists, will object to next.
UN in bid to buy non-GM food
The
UN World Food Programme (WFP) hopes contributors to a southern African aid
appeal will avoid controversy over GM grain by donating cash, the relief agency
says. The WFP this week appealed for $530 million worth of food and other aid
to extend its relief programmes for 6.3 million people in the region, but hopes
to avoid difficulties met last year when several needy countries rejected GM
grain donations. `Clearly the GM issue was problematic last year. We resolved
that problem by mutually agreeing to mill what potential GM maize would come in’,
WFP spokeswoman in Johannesburg
Jennifer Abrahamson said. `What we are hoping to get are a lot of cash
contributions so we can buy food regionally. It enables us not only to get
non-GM food, because it has been a problem here, but it also enables us to get food
to countries much quicker’.
Last year,
Aid agencies reckon about 6.3 million people in
Soften Stance on
Biotech Crops - 'Governments need to step up involvement'
Curtis
Schaeffer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 11 Aug 03, http://www.ajc.com/
It is like a science fiction tale. The leader of
Biotech
crops offer one solution to food shortages worldwide at a time when
increasingly less land is dedicated to food production and population growth
continues. A crop is considered "biotech" when a gene from an unrelated
species is introduced to the original plant group for the purpose of making the
harvest more productive, healthy or disease resistant. There is growing
resistance to biotech crops in the
A clear indication that the development of biotech crops is not simply a corporate
money grab is that developing countries are conducting important research on
their own to benefit their populations.
signed an agreement with the US Department of Agriculture to create a permanent
bilateral working group for cooperation in biotechnology; the Chinese
government has the largest biotechnology industry outside of North America and
has invested heavily in research since the 1980s as a way of
ensuring future food security for 1.3 billion people. Greater involvement in
the research, regulation and production of biotech crops by governments in
cooperation with international bodies, universities and consumers will assure
distrustful countries such as
World's First Cloned
Horse Born to its Genetic Twin
Patricia Reaney, 7 Aug 03, http://www.planetark.org
Italian scientists they had created the world's first
cloned horse from an adult cell taken from the horse who
gave birth to her. Prometea, a healthy female, weighed in at 80 lbs when she
was born during a natural delivery 28 May 03 in
"People
would not have expected it to be possible," said Galli, referring to the
mother giving birth to her own clone. Galli and his team reported their success
in the science journal Nature. Named after Prometheus, who in Greek mythology
was punished for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans, the foal
was created through nuclear transfer, the same technique used for Dolly the sheep,
the world's first cloned mammal. Galli and his team removed a skin cell from
the mother and fused it to an egg from which the nucleus had been removed.
After the activated egg was grown in the laboratory it was replaced in the
horse from which it had been cloned. The scientists started out with more 800
manipulated eggs using male and female cells. Twenty-two developed into 7-day-old
embryos and 17 were transferred into nine horses. Four pregnancies resulted but
Prometea was the only live animal. "Our result adds the horse to the list
of mammals that have so far been successfully cloned from an adult somatic
cell," Galli and his team said in their report.
In addition to the scientific achievement, he believes
Prometea could lead to cloning of champion geldings, castrated horses.
"There is an interest in cloning those animals because they cannot
reproduce anymore because they were castrated at a young age. A good proportion
of sporting champions are geldings," said Galli. If regulations in the
breeding industry allowed cloning, it would be an immediate possibility.
"You would make a copy of an animal that cannot reproduce so you could use
it as a stallion to serve mares," he explained. Galli said cloning
sporting animals would not guarantee generations of cloned champions, because many
factors, including character and the interaction with people who train them,
were important for producing top racing horses. Galli and his team have already
cloned bulls and cows.
GMOs, God and the
Prince of Wales
Pretty
Bara and Tawanda Zidenga, Crop Science Department, University of Zimbabwe, 5
Aug 03. From AgBioView 6 Aug 03
We write to challenge the comments Prince Charles
continues to make about GMOs and we hope he stops commenting on a subject he
clearly knows nothing about. The prince needs a GM-free
That
any place can and should stay GM-free is nothing short of a dream. We believe
that biotechnology is here to stay, and the best we can do is ponder on how
best we can use it without harming the environment and our health. Numerous
scientific studies have pointed to the safety and sustainability of this
technology, and we believe debate should be based on facts rather than emotion.
We are writing from the third world, and we know what it is like to have no
food. While we understand the rationale of organic farming, we think it is a
luxury for the Princes of this world. While developed countries can afford to
choose food based on the process used to produce it (a ridiculous choice
indeed), we in the third world do not have such a choice.
The
complication comes if we have to be bullied into being GM-free to satisfy
European trade standards. The rejection of GM food aid by some countries in
this region was due to the fear of losing European beef markets. If the prince
so wishes, he can declare his own plate GM-free, and even then we wish him
luck. But to claim that GM takes scientists into the realms of God is to
clearly misunderstand both GM and God. Nobody can ever play God, because God
plays his part superbly and he doesn't need a stand-in. We hope the prince
understands in the long run that scientists are only playing scientists,
period.
Perhaps the prince has never taken a moment to think about agriculture, because
if he had, then he would know that agriculture itself is a way of "experimenting
and commercializing the building blocks of life" and that is true with and
without genetic modification. The claim that agriculture
can be "natural" is misguided, since agriculture itself is driven by mankind.
If the good prince reads the bible, then he may have missed the line that mankind
was given dominion over creation, and it's a reality that we will always
manipulate our environment to our own ends. If the prince does not
regard insect resistant crops, nutritionally enhanced crops and stress tolerant
crops as highly beneficial then we question his understanding of farming and
the whole purpose of crop production. We find the comparison between genetic
modification and organic farming very ridiculous. The
former is a method of breeding while the latter is a method of production. If
it wasn't an issue of commerce, one would expect the two to complement each
other.
If the Prince of Wales admits the usefulness of this technology in medicine,
why should he reject it in agriculture? The basic principles are still the
same. You don't start playing God only because you are now in agriculture when
you can do the same thing in medicine and receive a round of applause. We in
the third world know better, that a poor diet will reduce our capacity to fight
off disease. Biotechnology provides the tools for providing more food of better
nutritional value. It is not a magic
bullet, but it certainly is an important tool. If the Prince is worried about
playing God, he should join debates about things such as the death sentence
where people actually decide that someone has to die. Otherwise somebody close
to him had better tell him to please shut up!
Organic products can
be adulterated
Jason
Groves, Western Morning News, 5 Aug 03. From AgBioView, 6 Aug 03 (shortened)
Dozens of organic products on the shelves of Westcountry stores may contain
ingredients treated with chemical pesticides because of a loophole in the law. Although
organic fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products all have to be produced to
exacting standards without the use of chemical treatments, some processed
products are allowed to carry the organic label even if they contain
non-organic ingredients. The revelation last night prompted one Westcountry MP
to call for a change in the law. Although the Food Standards Agency has said
that organic food offers no proven health benefits, many consumers believe
otherwise and have helped the organic sector become one of the fastest growing
segments of the food market in recent years.
The
loophole, which is enshrined in European laws passed 2 years ago, allows
processed products like biscuits, cakes and ready meals to contain up to 5%
non-organic ingredients, but still be labelled as wholly organic. Because of this it is
impossible for consumers to tell which processed products may contain
non-organic ingredients. Food manufacturers can also apply for a temporary
licence to use up to 30% non-organic ingredients in a product, although in this
case the product must carry small print explaining that only a certain
percentage is genuinely organic. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, which issues the "derogations" to food processors and
importers, said the loophole was needed because some ingredients "cannot
be produced organically". The department said temporary licences could
also be granted when certain organic ingredients were in short supply. A DEFRA
spokesman cited the example of organic Christmas puddings, where he said it had
proved impossible for manufacturers to source organically produced brandy. He
said the powers were used relatively rarely, with just 45 organic products
granted licences to use non-organic ingredients last year. But the loophole is
likely to alarm consumers, who have been switching to organic produce in droves
in recent years, despite higher prices, in a bid to avoid eating food that may
contain traces of chemical pesticides.
Paul
Tyler, Lib-Dem MP for
More than 13 research
centres in Spain dedicate their work to issues concerning Plant Biotechnology,
mainly in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, commented Jose Luis Garcia, general
subdirector of Scientific Programming, Monitoring and Documentation for the
Spanish Council for Scientific Research, the CSIC, in yesterday's working
breakfast: The future of agricultural Biotechnology in
National Natural Sciences Museum. According to Jose Luis Garcia, "our
highly qualified researchers could make
There are also projects
for the detection of transgenics in food, for phyto-remediation (decontamination
of heavy materials from the ground via transgenic plants), for plants tolerant
of salinity, and there is even a study which aims to increase the quantity of fructose
in barley, for industrial purposes. Pilar Carbonero, professor of Plant
Biotechnology at the "Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros
Agrónomos" (Higher Technical School of Engineers) in
by the European Parliament last week, Carbonero indicated that "it is always
good news, although the conditions imposed on companies are unfair and
difficult to fulfill."
With regard to the agricultural dichotomy
between GMOs and organic agriculture, Jose Luis Garcia commented that all
this has to do with a false opposing argument, expounded by those groups
most critical to biotechnology, since he believes that "transgenic
plants are the most organic because they do not require the use of
pesticides and in the not too distant future, there will be plants which
consume much less water."
Jose
Luis Garcia also stated his opinion on the matter, commenting that "with
this Regulation, countries which have declared themselves in favour of the
moratorium have lost their final excuse and will have to make their position
clear from now on. However, this measure is highly complex and we are yet to
see whether or not the final product will increase in price. With regard to the
agricultural dichotomy between GMOs and organic agriculture, Jose Luis Garcia
commented that all this has to do with a false opposing argument, expounded by
those groups most critical to
Biotechnology, since he
believes that "transgenic plants are the most organic because they do not
require the use of pesticides and in the not too distant future, there will be
plants which consume much less water."
Further information: Elena
Fernandez Guiral, Communications Director of Antama Foundation
e mail: fguiral@fundacion-antama.org,
Tel. 915714646
GM cotton crops halve
pesticide use
Sydney
Morning Herald, 1 Aug 03. From AgBioView 4 Aug 03
The introduction of GM cotton crops to
Bollgard II, a new version of Monsanto GM cotton that will be commercially available
in
Helicoverpa is the Australian
equivalent of the worldwide scourge of cotton crops, the boll weevil.
General release of Bollgard II was approved by the Government last year and in Apr
2003 it would comprise about 15% of the total crop, Constable said. By May
2004, Bollgard II could supply 80% of the cotton crop as Ingard is phased out of production to minimise the risk of developing resistance
to the bacterium. Use of Ingard was restricted to 30% of
GM trees quietly
sprouting
Paul Elias,
12 Aug 03, from Searcabiotech, 12 Aug 03 (shortened)
Biotechnology is coming to the forest and orchard. Scientists are planting GE
trees in dozens of research projects across the country. They are working to
create trees that grow faster, yield better wood, produce hardier crops, fight
pollution, even serve as sentinels for detecting germ
and chemical attacks. Environmentalists fear dangerous unintended consequences.
"It won't be as widespread as agricultural biotechnology, but it could be
much more destructive," said Jim Diamond of the Sierra Club. "Trees
are what's left of our natural environment and home to
endangered
species." The Sierra Club wants a moratorium on the planting of
genetic-engineered trees outdoors until the science is better understood. But
the plea has been like a tree falling deep in the forest.
Tree
researchers say their critics are missing all the ways that science can give
nature a fighting chance against ravages, natural and man-made. Biotechnology,
they say, may provide just what is needed to help reverse global deforestation
and industrial pollution, while satisfying increased demand for wood and paper
products. Already, biotechnology has been credited with saving
Some
researchers are infusing trees with genetic material taken from viruses and
bacteria that helps them grow faster and fatter and yield better wood. Others
are splicing mercury-gobbling bacteria genes into trees, enlisting nature to
help clean polluted soil. Still others are inserting foreign genes that might
reduce the amount of toxic chemicals needed to process trees into paper. Fruit-tree
farmers are looking for hardier trees with less reliance on chemical bugs and
weed killers. And the Pentagon even awarded
Poplar, eucalyptus, apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered.
Researchers even hope to revive the cherished American chestnut, devastated a
century ago by a tree-stunting blight that prevents them from growing higher than
shrubs become before succumbing. All this is being done today because of better
understanding of tree genomes. The Dendrome Project at the
Except for the Hawaiian papaya, no GM tree is expected to be commercialized for
the next years. Trees grow much slower than crops, and genetic researchers need
years to compare generations.
Could biotech trees crossbreed with their natural brethren and ruin forests' genetic
diversity? The Sierra Club fears that, among other ecological consequences. Researchers
hope to placate critics by engineering sterility into their designer trees, so
their effects on the environment can be contained. But that technology remains
elusive. Forestry researchers are proud of their work but have become cautious
about disclosing where their GM trees are growing.
In June 3 protesters were arrested after chaining themselves inside a UC-Davis
science building to protest tree research. And 2 years ago, the Earth
Liberation Front claimed responsibility for arson attacks in Seattle and
engineer poplars that are sterile. "The violent guys just don't understand
the science," he said."
Genetic engineering is not one thing, it's a thousand
things. But the extremes want to stop it all."
Call for papers
17 - 18 Nov 03: Cape
Biotech 2003 Conference:
The 3rd