The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a report on the use of genetically modified microorganisms in agriculture and food production. The report includes not only genetically engineered microbes, but also those obtained by other processes. According to the report, the existing test guidelines need to be significantly improved in order to keep pace with the new processes and applications. Among other things, the report calls for the development of methods to assess changes in the microbiome, i.e. the communities of microbes that colonize, for example, the intestines of humans and animals or the roots of plants.
Some countries already use genetically engineered microorganisms in agriculture and animal feed. In the USA, genetically engineered bacteria can be released on the fields to improve the nitrogen supply to plants. In Brazil, genetically engineered bacteria can be mixed into animal feed to kill pathogenic salmonella in the intestines. Their genetic material contains a gene that allows the gene scissors to recognize and destroy specific genes in the targeted salmonella. As far as information is available, it appears that risk assessment of the microbes by the competent authorities in these countries has been insufficient.
According to the EFSA opinion, the genetically engineered bacteria would be subjected to a more detailed risk assessment before being released in the EU. In addition, EFSA also wants to assess the risks of microorganisms obtained from other processes, such as random mutagenesis. Testbiotech welcomes this opinion as well as several planned updates of EFSA risk assessment guidelines. In contrast, in the public consultation on the EFSA report, the industry called for significantly lower risk assessment standards.
Testbiotech considers the EFSA statement that genetically engineered microorganisms do not pose a greater risk than, e. g. bacteria from random mutagenesis, to be misleading. Genetic engineering enables to develop microorganisms with substantially higher potential to damage health and the environment than previous methods. Testbiotech warns that in many cases the risks of releasing genetically engineered bacteria cannot be adequately assessed, and is therefore calling for the precautionary principle to be strengthened.
Contact:
Christoph Then, info@testbiotech.org, Tel + 49 151 54638040
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