Current GMOs in the EU

Since the beginning of the new millennium, mass media have slowly lost interest in the debate around GMOs.[1] No new arguments have been given, and the two (polarized) sides of the debate repeat their same old slogans. Only occasionally does a story reach the mass media and this is mostly on the account of NGOs. One of these stories that were widely covered in the media was the introduction of a GM potato by BASF.

 

The Case of Amflora in the EU

In December 2010, Greenpeace offered a petition with one million signatures to the European commission. The petition was against the introduction of Amflora. This is a potato, designed by BASF, which only make starch for the production of glue and paper. The most important issue Greenpeace has with Amflora is that it has an antibiotic resistance marker gene. This gene was inserted while constructing the potato, to test if the genetic construct was inserted well. There is no scientific indication that the antibiotic resistance gene could cross into bacteria, but Greenpeace is skeptical and believes that it is not worth the risk.

It was the first application of the EU citizens’ initiative that was formally introduced in the Lisbon Treaty.[2] This initiative allows European citizens to place topics on the commission’s agenda. Amflora is still permitted in the EU, although the European commission has not reached a final agreement. On the 28th of November 2011, the highest court in France confirmed that the ban on the cultivation of GMOs that had been in place in France since 2008 was illegal. This follows the ruling of the European court of justice.[3] The reason for lifting this ban is that over the last 15 years more than 3 billion acres of GM crops have been cultivated worldwide with no negative effects to human health or the environment. According to the court, this confirms their safety. Financial issues played an important role; due to the EU moratorium, European farmers lost between € 443 and €929 million a year.[4] This potato can be seen as an example of a genetically modified plant that produces materials for industry.

 

GMOs are widely used today, although not always knowingly by the consumers. For example, enzymes used in industry for the production of bread, beer and sodas, are usually made using genetically modified yeasts and bacteria. Because the GMOs are only used in the production process and not present in the final product, no labelling is necessary. In non-food products there are even more uses of GMOs. In washing chemicals, enzymes (lipases and proteases) allow users to wash at low temperatures. Phytases are used in fodder, chlorine free bleaching of paper is done with enzymes and a large number of the pharmaceuticals are also produced by GMOs. As long as the organisms themselves are not eaten and there are clear advantages to their use society seems to accept propagation of GMOs.

 

[1] Described by de Vriend and Schenkelaars 2008

[2] “Regulation EU (2011) No. 211/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Citizens’ Initiative ”

[4] Described by Park et al. 2011