www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

Genetically modified (GM) engineering in South Africa, which is being pushed
hard by biotech companies wanting to penetrate the rest of the continent,
was dealt a blow on Thursday when the Western Cape agricultural department's
announced that it did not support the use of GM yeast in wines, October
2006.

This comes after the national department of agriculture received an
application for permission to sell GM yeast in South Africa.

The GM yeast is used in the production of wine. On Thursday the Western Cape
department of agriculture said in a statement that if South African
producers used GM products in their wine, the multi billion-rand industry
would lose its export market.

Because of this, the department supported the SA Wine Council, which opposed
the request to sell GM yeast locally for use in wines.

Said Agriculture MEC Cobus Dowry: "The wine industry is of paramount
importance to the economic and social welfare of the Western Cape.

"Not only was the industry responsible for an estimated state income of
R2,5-billion from local sales during 2005, it also contributes to the
economy through foreign investments worth millions of rand.

"The industry is an important employer along its value chain."

Because of this, South Africa could not afford to lose its export markets by
using GM products in wine.

But Dowry said his department was not opposed to genetic engineering and
supported GM research through the Wine tech programmes, which were strictly
controlled.

"The department will not support the introduction of GM organisms in the
commercial production of wine until such time as it is clear that this
practice is internationally accepted," Dowry said.

The local wine industry said last week that even if the government gave the
nod to GM yeast, it would not touch it as all GM products were banned in
wine for local or export consumption.

The GM ban was put in place by the IVO, the international viticulture
organisation based in France that controls all wine sold on world markets.

Some wine producers said even if the IVO were to approve GM yeast in wines,
they were unlikely to use it because of the enormous opposition to GM
organisms from consumers and food companies.

In a separate application, the University of Stellenbosch has asked the
department of agriculture for approval to conduct field trials of
genetically modified grapes.

The grapes are to be made into GM wine, but will not be released
commercially.

Environmental and consumer groups have lodged formal objections to the
application for GM grapes.

They say the risk of environmental contamination from GM crops is too great,
while a marker gene in the GM grapes is antibiotic-resistant.

The university hopes to develop GM grapes that are resistant to fungus.

[www.iol.co.za]

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