Proceedings of the XLVI Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Giardini Naxos, Italy - 18/21 September, 2002

ISBN 88-900622-3-1

Round Table Abstract - RT2

RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

SWEET J.

NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE, UK

jeremy.sweet@niab.com

Under the precautionary principles of developed countries, GMOs are subject to close scrutiny regardless of the hazard associated with the transformation product, while equally hazardous novel non-transformed products are not. The risk assessments of GM plants are conducted on a case-by-case basis which evaluates the likely impact of the transformed plant and other plants that the gene might enter. In the case of genes confering novel traits it will be important to determine their impact on plant behaviour, and their impact on phytophagus species (including man), and other organisms associated with the GM plants. The assessment should evaluate the risk to the release environments where the novel plants will be grown. This may mean that a range of different ecosystems are studied. The risk assessment will also take account of how the transformed plant will be deployed in agriculture. Management practices may themselves be novel and have an impact on the environment. For example novel resistance genes producing PR proteins may replace the use of pesticides, and thus change the relationship between the GM plant and phytophagus or pathogenic organisms. Deployment of these crops can directly or indirectly effect biodiversity in farming systems and thus it is important that these effects are evaluated.

In addition it will be important to determine isolation measures for non-food and pharmaceutical GM crops so that the novel products are in distinct and separate chains of production and supply.

Recent changes in EU regulations will require that environmental impact evaluations are conducted prior to the commercialisation of GM crops and that monitoring is conducted to confirm these evaluations. GM crops are being compared to current cropping practices at a time when there are serious concerns about the sustainability of these practices. Thus the question arises as to whether the appropriate comparisons are being made or whether we should only be embracing new technologies which have a more favourable environmental audit.

In addition questions are being asked about GM crops which have not been considered for conventional crops. Thus, in order for risk assessments and biodiversity evaluations to be conducted on GM crops, more information is needed on the ecology of current farming systems. This will allow impacts to be measured against existing standards, and also the significance of these impacts on wildlife to be more fully understood.

In some instances GM crops, combined with appropriate management can provide novel approaches for enhancing biodiversity within crops. Research and monitoring in the future is needed to measure impacts and to ensure good stewardship of GM crops. Monitoring should include random sampling of appropriate biodiversity indicators to keep track of ecological impacts on farming systems.