EU sides with Monsanto in 'GMO Cancer Corn' word war

EU sides with Monsanto in 'GMO Cancer Corn' word war

Published: 05 October, 2012, 17:02



Anti-GMO activists rip open
bags containing "MON 810", a variety of genetically modified maize
(corn) developed by Monsanto Company after entering a Monsanto
storehouse (AFP Photo/Eric Cabanis)

The European Food Safety Authority has rejected a controversial
study by French scientists linking GM corn to cancer. Many in Europe are
already calling for stricter controls on GMOs, as farmers weigh the
lucrative crops against health concerns.

­In September, French scientists from the University of Caen released
a study claiming that rats fed on a diet containing NK603 – a corn seed
variety made tolerant to amounts of Monsanto's Roundup weed-killer – or
given water mixed with the product at levels permitted in the United
States died earlier than those on a standard diet.
The study
elicited calls for stricter controls on already unpopular genetically
modified (GM) crops in Europe. France had already issued a temporary ban
on another Monsanto corn seed (MON810) in May due to a similar study.
However,
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) claimed the study lacked
enough specific information on Friday, and asked the scientists who
conducted it to provide more details on their testing methods. The move
adds to the constant back and forth in the debate over genetically
modified organisms (GMOs).
The "design, reporting and analysis of the study … are inadequate," the EFSA said in its review, concluding that it could not "regard the authors' conclusions as scientifically sound."
The
EFSA took issue with the type of rat used in the study, specifically
the albino Sprague-Dawley strain of rat. Sprague-Dawley rats have a
tendency to develop cancers naturally over the course of their two-year
life span, which was also the duration of the study.
"This
means the observed frequency of tumors is influenced by the natural
incidence of tumors typical of this strain, regardless of any treatment.
This is neither taken into account nor discussed by the authors," the EFSA said.
Gilles-Eric
Seralini, the French researcher who conducted the study with his
colleagues and published the results in the journal of Food and Chemical
Toxicology in London was incredulous at the EFSA’s decision, and stated
that he would not release any more information to the EFSA unless it
provided justification for its conclusion.
"It is absolutely scandalous that [the EFSA] keeps secret the information on which they based their evaluation [of NK603],” he said.

"In any event, we will not give them anything. We will put the information in the public domain when they do," Seralini said in an AFP report.
­
Please pass the GMO?

The
French study caused waves of alarm across Europe, and even prompted a
ban on the NK603 corn in Russia. A group of Russian scientists who
oppose GMOs are hoping to conduct their own rat experiment, set to begin
in March of 2013. They expect that their year-long experiment will show
whether the controversial cultivation process has effects as dangerous
as the French study claims.

In an effort to conduct their
study as publicly as possible, Russian researchers from the National
Association for Genetic Safety (NAGS) came up with the idea of web
cameras installed in cages with the test rats, which will broadcast all
stages of the experiment online. The unique reality show will be
available on the internet 24/7 worldwide.
“This is a unique experiment,” project author Elena Sharoykina told RT. “There hasn’t been anything like it before – open, public research by opponents and supporters of GMO.”
Many
GM crops are banned or controversial throughout Europe. France has
strict regulations of GM crops, while GMOs are completely banned in
Germany, Greece, Austria, Luxembourg, Hungary, and the UK over health
concerns. GM crops are altered to be resistant to pesticides, a
development which has caused an increase in the use of chemicals that
have been linked to cancer and birth defects.
Still, the crops are
attractive to farmers, Arkady Zlochevsky, president of the Russian
Grain Union, told RT. For example, the Monsanto GMO NK603 corn in
question has been modified to be resistant to Monsanto's “Roundup”
weed-killer, making the product easier and cheaper to grow with
delivering better yields.

“The seed may be more expensive, but the development is significantly cheaper,”
he said, stating that European GMO farmers find a 20 per cent increase
in profit combined with a highly-marketable, top-quality product.
­
Study versus study

The
EFSA’s criticism of the French study echoed that of numerous other
experts across Europe that refuted the results. But as more and more
studies emerge on both sides of the issue, the harder it becomes to
identity where fact meets fiction.

Zlochevsky told RT that “There is no reliable proof of the ills of GMO; so far there have only been attempts to prove it.”

Monsanto’s study published in 2002 on corn strain NK603 concluded that “NK603 is as safe and nutritious as conventional corn currently being marketed,” and the specific proteins in the corn genetically altered to make the corn pesticide resistant “are not toxic to non-target organisms, including humans, animals and beneficial insects.”
But
a study published recently in the UK by a genetic engineer from
London’s King’s College of Medicine signaled that GM foods pose a more
serious threat than advocates of research would have the public believe.
“GM
crops are promoted on the basis of ambitious claims – that they are
safe to eat, environmentally beneficial, increase yields, reduce
reliance on pesticides and can help solve world hunger," said Dr.
Michael Antoniou, author of the report, which claims that research into
GM crops is incomplete and tests on the effect of their consumption are
not comprehensive enough.

Regulatory industries worldwide rely on companies selling GM products rather than independent testing, stipulates the paper.
Director
of corporate communications for Monsanto, Phil Angell, summed up his
company’s take on the issue in a report by food author Michael Pollan
for New York Times Magazine in 1998: "Monsanto should not have to
vouch for the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much
of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."




Source:-

http://rt.com/news/corn-study-gm-french-711/