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RESOURCES
DOCUMENTS:
MONSANTO GM MAIZE CONSPIRACY REVEALED
Press Notice from GM Free Cymru, 24 May 2005
GM MAIZE CONSPIRACY REVEALED
A GM watchdog group based in Wales has today revealed the full extent
of a conspiracy by UK and EC officials which has, against the public
interest, enabled a highly damaging study on the safety of GM maize to
be held on a secret dossier and which has gagged scientists who have
seen it.
The study, into the effects of feeding rats for 90 days on Monsanto's
MON863 maize, was requested by various EU countries as part of the
MON863 assessment process, and was completed in September 2003. The
results showed "statistically significant" changes to blood and to
certain vital organs in the rats fed on the GM maize, as compared with
those in the control group, and immediately alarm bells started to ring
in scientific circles throughout Europe. The French authorities tried
to cover up the scientific debate about the study (1). In the autumn
of 2004 concerns were expressed about the study findings by a number of
other national regulatory bodies, including Belgium and Germany.
Germany actually commissioned an evaluation of the rat feeding study
from Dr Arpad Pusztai, but Monsanto would not allow its 1,139 page
research dossier to be examined without the signing of a "declaration
of confidentiality." Incredibly, the EC and the German authorities
acceded to this demand, which means that their key officials are now
bound by a secrecy agreement. This would not be so bad if it were not
for the fact that Dr Pusztai's evaluation was highly critical of both
the methods and the findings of the study, indicating that MON863 maize
by no means has a "clean bill of health." Subsequent leaks (2) from
France, Germany and Belgium suggest that the maize variety may indeed
be unsafe for animal or human consumption, and that a major cover-up is
under way, designed to protected the corporate giant Monsanto and the
regulatory authorities who have prematurely advised that MON863 is
perfectly safe (3) (9) (10).
The extent of the cover-up is becoming clearer by the day. In France
Crii-Gen has been trying for more than 18 months to obtain sight of the
full rat feeding study, national opinions and scientific advice on
MON863, and other materials held on the dossier by the French
authorities and the European Food Safety Authority (4). They have
received point-blank refusals to their requests, on the grounds that
all of these documents are covered by the "confidential / business
interest" rules. However, these rules specify that the only material
which may be classified as secret is data on the manufacturing process
/ genetic characterization of the GM variety; and that all material
relating to health and safety issues must be released into the public
domain. In the UK, GM Free Cymru has been trying for several months to
obtain sight of the rat feeding study, the "opinions" of various EU
governments, and other studies and papers relating to the MON863
application; but access has been consistently refused. The only
information available to the public on the EFSA and other web sites is
information which supports the EFSA / ACRE attitude that MON863 is
perfectly safe; all information which might be embarrassing or
uncomfortable for Monsanto and the authorities has been given a "CBI"
classification (5).
In pursuit of its requests to open up the MON863 secret dossier, GM
Free Cymru has written over and again to EFSA, to the President of the
Commission, to individual Commissioners, and to the UK government. It
has also written to the German authorities and to the EC office which
deals with European "freedom of information" matters. These efforts
have proved fruitless.
The organization has also been asking EFSA, the Commission and the
German authorities for the "Declaration of Secrecy" which prevents Dr
Pusztai and others from airing their scientific opinions on the rat
feeding study to be lifted, in the public interest( 6). Again, nothing
has been done. The last resort is to take the case to the European
Ombudsman, and GM Free Cymru is committed to do this if a dozen or
more documents which has requested are not released within the next few
days.
Speaking for GM Free Cymru, Dr Brian John said: "Our attempts to open
up the MON863 secret dossier to public scrutiny show that there is
corruption right at the heart of the GM approvals process. EFSA, which
is supposed to exist for the protection of the European public, works
instead to protect the interests of multinational corporations like
Monsanto. This is sinister and dangerous. With the connivance of the
EC, it appears even to allow Monsanto to dictate the terms on which it
submits research information as part of the approvals process. It is
an outrage that any independent scientist should be asked to sign an
oath of secrecy in order to examine and evaluate something as important
as the 90-day rat feeding study (7).
"What we also see here is a political determination on the part of the
EC to push through GM approvals, simply because this is part of its
strategy in the ongoing WTO dispute with the USA (8). It is being
helped by the secrecy and obfuscation of EFSA. In pursuit of that
strategy, it silences potential scientific critics, suppresses key
research information, and classifies as "commercially sensitive" many
documents which should be open to scrutiny. In doing that, it is
breaking EU law, and is playing politics with the health of the people
of Europe. Ultimately, since the GM industry apparently has so much to
hide, why should anybody trust it, or want anything to do with GM crops
or foods?"
ENDS
Contact: Dr Brian John
GM Free Cymru
Tel 01239-820470
NOTES
(1) In the autumn of 2003 concerns were expressed in France by members
of the CGB (the Commission for Genetic Engineering), whose President
nonetheless submitted a positive opinion on MON863 prior to proper
committee discussion. On 28 October 2003, CGB issued an unfavourable
report on MON863, which has remained confidential so far. On 6
November 2003, another French commission, the Agency for the Medical
Safety of Food (AFSSA) gave, for the same file, an opposite opinion.
Most of the documents relating to these deliberations have been kept
secret, despite strenuous efforts by Crii-Gen for them to be released.
The scandal was revealed by Le Monde newspaper on 23 April 2004.
The Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic
Engineering (CRII-GEN) has the role of ensuring expert scrutiny and
the greatest possible transparency on the medical and environmental
risks of GM.
(2) Quote from Dr Pusztai's leaked Evaluation report: "The list of
significant differences suggest that the authors' confidence that the
genetic modification of the maize sample has induced no significant
changes in the nutritional value and the biological/immunological, etc.
properties of this important food/feed crop is almost certainly
groundless. It is almost impossible to imagine that major lesions in
important organs (kidneys, liver, etc) or changes in blood parameters
(lymphocytes, granulocytes, glucose, etc) that occurred in GM maize-fed
rats, is incidental and due to simple biological variability."
(3) EFSA Opinion of the GMO Panel on MON863 and MON863 x MON810:
adopted 2 April 2004.
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_meetings/49/
minutes_gmo_09_en1.pdf)
See also the comprehensive coverage of this issue in the Sunday
Independent newspaper, 22 May 2005..
"Revealed: health fears over secret study into GM food.
Rats fed GM corn due for sale in Britain developed abnormalities in
blood and kidneys" By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, Sunday
Independent, 22 May 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?
story=640402
(4) For the attempts by Crii-gen to obtain key scientific information
on MON863 since October 2003, see:
http://www.crii-gen.org/m_fs_cx.htm
Also Le Monde, 23 April 2004 and 14 December 2004
(5) EFSA web site with details of deliberations on MON863:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/catindex_en.html
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/381_en.html
(6) Correspondence is available on request
(7) In Australia and New Zealand, in contrast, the full rat feeding
study was examined by FSANZ and it was decided that it did not merit
"confidential business interest" classification. "FSANZ decided that
the confidentially claim by Monsanto was not justified under the FSANZ
Act" --Dr Peter Abbott (Scientific Risk Assessment and Evaluation
Branch, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Tel. 02 6271 2230) in a
letter to Bob Phelps, Executive Director, GeneEthics Network
Australia, Tel: 03 9347 4500 or 1300 133 868, Fax: 03 9345 1166
Email: info@geneethics.org
http://www.geneethics.org
(8)GMO trade war: Europe accused of secrecy
Official Complaint made to Ombudsman by FoE EUROPE
Wednesday 16 February 2005
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4909
Eurocrats accused of "caving in" to US -- Eurocrats force vote on
modified food
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4358
(9) It has now been claimed by a member of the EFSA Board, Professor
Giorgio Calabrese, that Monsanto is in possession of other studies
which have not been shown to the regulatory authorities in Europe. This
has been denied by Monsanto, but in a new move EFSA has demanded of
Monsanto that the company should submit "its entire research into (the
corn strain) MON 863'' (La Stampa newspaper, 23 May 2005).
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/05/24/afx2049419.html
newsdesk@afxnews.com
(10) In the USA, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) has recently alerted
both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Monsanto about the
failure of the company to comply with the adverse reporting
requirements of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA). In the view of CFS the MON863 rat feeding study showed
"unreasonable adverse effects" which should have been drawn to the
attention of the regulators. Failure to do this is potentially a
criminal offence. A copy of the CFS letter is available on request.
