Serious blow to GM industry

19 November 2009

The quiet dropping of a new generation GM crop is a major blow for the technology, a leading anti-GM campaigner has declared.

Monsanto and Cargill abandoned their latest transgenic corn product after European watchdogs raised concerns over consumption by humans [1].

Well-known GM campaigner Peter Melchett, policy director for the Soil Association, said: “This is a very serious blow to the GM lobby's claims that it can deliver 'second generation' GM traits with benefits to consumers (unlike the first generation herbicide and insect resistance traits).  Independent scientists have always said that these more complex traits may not only prove harder (or impossible) to engineer, but, as happened in this case, will also generate novel and complex safety concerns.”

Ends

Notes

[1] For more information see
www.bioscienceresource.org/news/article.php?id=43
www.gmfreecymru.org/news/Press_Notice9Nov2009.htm