testbiotech

The EU Commission is planning to adopt large parts of the European Food Authority’s (EFSA) guidelines on the risk assessment of genetically engineered plants as an official part of EU regulations. The EFSA guidelines are controversial and widely disputed in public. They have been heavily criticized from many sides. Nevertheless, in future large parts of these guidelines might become the official interpretation of EU legislation in this context. EU regulations (e.g. regulation 1829/2003 and 178/2002) provide a high level of protection for consumers and the environment because they are based on the precautionary principle. This is in contrast to the EFSA guidelines, which are very much oriented to the interests of industry and perceived as not to fulfilling these high standards. In recent years, concerns have been raised by many organisations active in consumer and environmental protection as well as by many Member States of the European Union.

Today the European Patent Office in Munich is granting a patent on a cloning technology (EP 1711599) that was used by the team working with the controversial Korean researcher Hwang Woo-Suk. In comparison to the original application, the patent as granted is substantially reduced and now only covers the medium used for growing the cells. The patent was applied for in 2004 and originally claimed methods for producing and using of human embryos for the production of embryonic stem cells. The European Patent Office (EPO) rejected these claims by arguing that the technical methods as described were based on flawed technical details. In 2006 it was made public that the researcher had falsified some of his publications.

Experts at Testbiotech have filed a statement to the EU Commission on an opinion given by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The statement concerns the genetically engineered oilseed rape GT73 produced by the US company Monsanto. This oilseed rape is genetically engineered to tolerate the herbicide glyphosate (also known under its brand name Roundup). The EFSA delivered a favourable opinion to allow further imports for use in the food chain. GT73 was assessed once before by the EFSA in 2004 (for details see: EFSA GMO watch, link).