NEWS: Food Biotechnology: Americans Enjoy GM Food, Why Can't Kuwaitis?, Asks US Official
Agbioworld
Boie Conrad Dublin
February 20, 2007
Excerpt...
Food derived from genetically modified (GM) plants is as safe as those produced from conventional sources, according to the Abu Dhabi-based Regional Director of the Agricultural Trade Office of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), David J. Williams Tuesday during a round table discussion with the press at the US Embassy in Bayan.
Williams' visit was prompted by allegations about the dangers of GM foods raised by two Greenpeace activists during a press conference held in Kuwait last week. Countering the issues raised by Arnaud Apoteker and Andi Freimuller on the supposed adverse effects GM foods could have on human health, Williams said that US regulatory process ensures that all biotech products that are commercially grown, processed, sold, and consumed are as safe for the environment and for human and animal health as their conventional counterparts. According to him, the US government's regulatory system is transparent, predictable, open to public comment, and based on sound science. It is continuously reviewed and evaluated to ensure it meets the challenges of this evolving technology.
He said that the agencies responsible for its regulation are the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration or FDA. In further touting the safety of GM foods, Williams cited the European Commission's Directorate General for Research's report which states: "Research on the GM (Genetically Modified) - plants and derived products so far developed and marketed ... has not shown any new risks to human health or the environment ... Indeed, the use of more precise technology and the greater regulatory scrutiny probably make them even safer than conventional plants and foods.
"GM foods available on the international market have undergone risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health in any other form than their conventional counterparts." According to a June 2005 report by the World Health Organization, Modern food biotechnology, human health and development: and evidence-based study." The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report "The State of Food and Agriculture, 2003-2004" further states: "Thus far, in those countries where transgenic (GM) crops have been grown, there have been no verifiable reports of these causing significant health or environmental harm."
Numerous organizations and scientists have determined that biotech foods pose no threat to humans or the environment. These include the French Academy of Sciences, the 3,200 scientists who sponsored a joint declaration on biotech foods, and numerous scientific studies - including a joint study conducted by seven national academies of science (The national academies of the United States, Brazil, China, India, and Mexico, plus the Royal Society of London and the Third World Academy of Sciences.Data provided to newsmen shows that biotech crops are farmed worldwide with 8.5 million farmers planting a total of 89.9 million hectares of biotechnology crops in 2005. The United States was the leader with 49.2 million hectares, followed by Argentina with 16.8 million hectares; Brazil with 9.2 million hectares; Canada with 5.6 million hectares; and China with 3.2 million hectares.
During 2006, in the Unites States, 61 percent of corn area, 89 percent of soybean area, and 83 percent of cotton area was planted with biotechnology crops.Other countries growing biotechnology crops include: India, Iran, Philippines, Australia, South Africa, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany. Soybeans account for 60 percent of global biotech area, followed by corn at 24 percent, cotton at 11 percent, and canola at 5 percent. According to a 2004 study by the University of Minnesota, the global commercial value of biotechnology crops was $44 billion during the 2003/2004 crop year.
Despite all the scientific data and evidence showing the safety of biotech products some EU member countries issued bans on GM foods led by France, Germany. Greece, Italy and Austria which prompted the US, Argentina and Canada to file a case with the World Trade Organization (WTO) which ruled, in 2006, that the European Union's moratorium on approving agricultural biotech products and unjustified EU member bans on previously approved biotech products was unjustified. The WTO Panel found that the EU had presented no scientific or regulatory justification for its moratorium....
With respect to the bans on biotech crops approved by the EU prior to the adoption of a moratorium, the Panel upheld the United States' claim that, in light of safety assessments issued by the EU's own scientists, the member state bans were not supported by scientific evidence and were thus inconsistent with WTO rules. David J. Williams assumed office as the USDA's Agricultural Trade Office Regional Director in August last year after a four-year stint in Mexico and prior to that, in India.
