* Study “of insufficient scientific quality”, says EFSA
* Findings have no bearing on safety of GM corn, it says
* Study author questions EFSA’s GM assessments
By Charlie Dunmore
BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Reuters) – A French study linking a type of
genetically modified corn to health risks in rats was of
insufficient scientific quality to draw any conclusions on the
safety of such crops, an initial review by the EU’s food safety
watchdog has found.
Last month, researchers at the University of Caen said rats
fed on Monsanto’s NK603 GM corn or exposed to its top-selling
Roundup glyphosate weed killer were at higher risk of suffering
tumours, multiple organ damage and premature death.
The study led Russia to temporarily ban imports of NK603,
which can be found in internationally traded animal feed, and is
designed to be grown in conjunction with use of glyphosate to
control weeds.
France’s government said it would also ban imports if the
findings are confirmed, but other experts have questioned the
study’s methods and Monsanto said it felt confident its products
had been proven safe.
“Considering that the study… has unclear study objectives
and given its inadequate design, analysis and reporting, EFSA
finds that it is of insufficient scientific quality for safety
assessments,” the European Food Safety Authority said in a
statement on Thursday.
Among other criticisms, the panel of EFSA scientists that
reviewed the paper said the authors had failed to establish
appropriate control groups as part of the study, and had chosen
a strain of rat that is prone to developing tumours during its
normal lifespan.
“Therefore, EFSA concludes that the study as reported does
not impact the ongoing re-evaluation of glyphosate and does not
see a need to reopen the existing safety evaluation of maize
NK603,” the panel concluded.
Monsanto said EFSA’s findings confirmed the positive safety
assessments that its products had received by regulators
worldwide.
“Monsanto’s products are subject to detailed scrutiny and
safety testing. It is appropriate that claims like those made in
the publication… should be scrutinized in the same way,” the
company said in a statement.
WATCHDOG CRITICISED
The safety watchdog said it would ask the authors to provide
full details of the study’s design and procedures, ahead of a
final review due by the end of the month.
But the study’s lead author, Gilles-Eric Seralini, said he
would only make further information publicly available if EFSA
published all the data from its 2003 safety assessment of NK603,
which concluded that it was as safe as non-GM corn.
“To play fair they can’t keep their data secret. The
authorisation of these products is based in our view on data and
a methodology that are even more faulty,” he said.
Campaign group Friends of the Earth accused EFSA of putting
the interests of biotech firms ahead of public safety concerns.
“For the past decade, EFSA has consistently sided with the
biotech industry and disregarded health or environment concerns
about genetically modified crops. Instead of picking holes in
peer-reviewed research, they should take public concerns
seriously,” said food campaigner Mute Schimpf.
Consumer resistance to GM foods remains strong in Europe,
with the most recent EU survey showing 57 percent of people
oppose the technology compared with 27 percent in favour.
Only one GM crop, MON 810, is currently grown on a
commercial scale in Europe – a pest-resistant corn variety also
produced by Monsanto – which covers about 115,000 hectares of
farmland, mainly in Spain.
That compares with about 160 million hectares of GM crops
grown worldwide, including varieties of cotton, soybeans and
maize.
But while there is virtually no demand for GM foods in the
European Union, the bloc imports millions of tonnes of GM animal
feed each year from major growers including the United States,
Argentina and Brazil.
(Additional reporting by Marion Douet in Paris; Editing by
Anthony Barker)
