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EFSAs GM maize assessment to take several weeks
Posted by: Prof. Dr. M. Raupp (IP Logged)
Date: March 28, 2007 08:46AM

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

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is consulting with EU member
states to ascertain whether further data are available to help it with its
renewed assessment of Monsanto's GM maize MON 863; its evaluation, based on
this input and the work of its GMO panel, is expected to take several weeks,
March 2007 by Jess Halliday.

The European Commission asked EFSA two weeks ago to examine the recently
published CRIIGEN study on genetically modified maize MON 863, and see
whether it has any consequences for the authority's existing opinion on the
safety of Monsanto's transgenic maize.

CRIIGENII is a 90-day rat study conducted by researchers at the University
of Caen and published in the peer-review journal Archives of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology. It indicated liver and kidney toxicity in rats
fed the transgenic maize, as well as differences in weight gain between the
sexes.

EFSA's GMO panel has the job of addressing the statistical analysis in this
study and any possible implications for human safety. The matter was
discussed at EFSA's GMO Panel meeting last Thursday and Friday.

This is not the first time that EFSA has been asked to evaluate the safety
of MON 863 as a result of a published study. A 13-week rat study conducted
in Germany in 2004 raised concerns over liver toxicity.

However in October of that year the EFSA GMO panel concluded that there was
"no evidence presented in the report that changes the conclusions already
reached by the GMO Panel earlier this year in its Opinions on the safety of
the insect-protected genetically modified maize MON 863 (EFSA 2004a, b)."

The initial opinions stated that the results of the rodent toxicity study
with MON 863 maize did not indicate concerns about its safety for human and
animal consumption.

The researchers behind the new study, led by Professor Gilles Eric Séralini
from the independent CRIIGEN (Committee for Independent Research and Genetic
Engineering) based at the University of Caen questioned the methods used by
Monsanto to initially show the safety and non-toxicity of the corn, saying
that the statistical methods used were insufficient to observed any possible
disruptions in biochemistry.

"Monsanto's analyses do not stand up to rigorous scrutiny - to begin with,
their statistical protocols are highly questionable. Worse, the company
failed to run a sufficient analysis of the differences in animal weight.
Crucial data from urine tests were concealed in the company's own
publications," said Séralini during a joint press conference with
environmental group Greenpeace in Berlin.

Monsanto has continued to defend the safety record of its corn. Spokesperson
Lee Quarles told FoodNavigator.com earlier this month: "The important thing
to note in all of this is the fact that the overwhelming opinion of expert
authorities is that MON 863 is safe for human and animal consumption. This
includes experts in Europe as the European competent authorities concur that
MON 863 YieldGard Rootworm maize is safe for human and animal health and the
environment.

MON863 is a transgenic maize genetically modified to express the Bt-toxin
(Cry3Bb1) which enables the plant to be insect repellent against the corn
rootworm pest. It is different from other GM corns of the market since these
express the Cry1Ab toxin which is toxic to the European corn borer.


It has been grown commercially in the United States and Canada since 2003,
and approved for import and food use in countries including Japan, Korea,
Taiwan, the Philippines, Russia and Mexico.

MON 863 received European approval for use in animal feed in 2005 and for
human consumption in 2006.

[www.nutraingredients.com]



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