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THIRD WORLD NETWORK INFORMATION SERVICE ON BIOSAFETY REF: DOC.TWN/BIOSAFETY/2002/B 7 August 2002 Dear friends and colleagues, Re: Contamination by genetically modified (GM) crops is ‘inevitable’, says EU We wish to bring to your attention a recent EU study which found that at the farm level, contamination of genes from genetically modified (GM) crops on other non-GM varieties are inevitable for some crops, resulting in the likelihood of creating herbicide resistant weeds and/or the extinction of wild varieties. “At farm and regional scale gene flow can occur over long distances and therefore complete genetic purity will be difficult to maintain,” according to the report entitled ‘Genetically modified organisms (GMOs): The significance of gene flow through pollen transfer’ and published by the European Environment Agency. The study found instances whereby pollen from GM crops such as oilseed rape, sugar beet and maize have traveled far and beyond the official isolation distances, either through wind dispersal or carried by insects, thus exceeding the safety precautions currently imposed. The study concluded that ‘it is apparent’ that some varieties of GM crops cross-pollinate with neighbouring non-GM crops ‘at higher frequencies and at greater distances than previously thought’ and that for oilseed rape and for most crops for that matter, contamination between crops is ‘inevitable’. Cross pollination between the GM crop and that or the organic variety could lead to superweed that are resistant to herbicides should the resistant gene be transferred. In the case of oilseed rape, the study predicts that plants carrying multiple resistances will become common once the GM herbicide tolerant variety is widely commercialized. And it warns that ‘over time even small amounts of gene flow can have important effects on evolutionary change’ and that gene flow between crops and their related wild species may have potentially harmful consequences which include increased likelihood of extinction of wild relatives. The EU report is available online at http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2002_28/en/gmos for www.pdf (302KB) With best wishes, Lim
Li Lin and Chee Yoke Heong Email: twnet@po.jaring.my
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