THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Spain Poised to be First EU Country for Trial Release of GE Olive Flies
Spain may become the first country in the European Union to introduce genetically-engineered (GE) animals if it approves the application of British biotech company, Oxitec, to release GE olive flies in a field trial. News reports state that the company has also made similar applications in Italy, Greece, and Morocco as well as one for its GE Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) in Brazil. Oxitec is better known for its controversial GE mosquitoes.
The olive fly Bactrocera (Dacus) oleae is one of the key pests in olive cultivation. According to Oxitec, only male GE flies would be released. On mating with wild females, the resulting female offspring would die in the late larval stages, thereby controlling the future fly population.
The trial release of Oxitec’s OX3097D flies is planned to take place over two to three months involving some 48 olive trees in Tarragona, one of Catalonia’s main olive-growing regions (Item 1). A full risk assessment of the proposed trial, a 30-day public information period, and consultation with experts and stakeholders are among the steps required by the Catalan Biosafety Commission and the Spanish National Commission of Biosafety before approval.
German scientific expert group, Testbiotech, and British group, GeneWatch UK, have openly opposed the trial, citing human health, environmental and farmers’ livelihood concerns. They highlight the risk of the presence of large numbers of dead larvae (maggots), live male larvae and any surviving female larvae remaining in the fruit and entering the food chain, where they could pose a danger to human health and the environment. As fruit contaminated with GE larvae is not allowed for food consumption in the EU, olive harvests could become unmarketable creating hardship for farmers. Also, since the Oxitec insects are manipulated with synthetic DNA (a mix of maritime organisms, bacteria, viruses and other insects), it is not known how they will interact with changing environmental conditions. Another environmental concern is the possible surge in other types of pests, such as olive moths and black scale insects.
“Oxitec’s experiments should not go ahead until rules for safety testing and plans for labelling and segregation of contaminated fruits have been thoroughly debated and assessed," says Dr. Helen Wallace of GeneWatch UK (Item 2).
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Item 1
Spain Considers Trial Release Of GM Olive Flies
Genetically-modified olive flies will be released in a Catalan olive grove if a field trial proposed by British biotech company Oxitec is approved in Spain.
According to German expert group Testbiotech, which opposes the trial, it would be the first release of GM animals in the European Union.
The olive fly ‘Bactrocera (Dacus) oleae’ is one of the key pests affecting olive cultivation and is managed mainly via pesticides.
Oxitec believes its modified olive fly strain – called OX3097D – and developed about three years ago – offers a more effective, chemical-free solution.
After what is says were promising greenhouse trials, Oxitec seeks approval to release its flies about 8 km from the port in Tarragona, one of Catalonia’s main olive oil production regions. It’s understood that six nets would each cover various trees and the trial would last 2-3 months.
Oxitec says it want to test the mating competitiveness, longevity and persistence of the fly in the field.
Female offspring die in larval stage
In information sent to the European Commission in January, Oxitec said only males would be released. On mating with wild females, any resulting female offspring would fail to develop beyond the late larval stages.
“No significant interactions are anticipated. The modification is limited to the olive fly by reproductive barriers. In the event that the OX3097D olive fly is eaten by predators present at the release site the inserted genetic traits are not anticipated to have any toxic effect,” it also said.
Catalan government says exhaustive evaluation needed before decisions
A spokeswoman for the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and Environment told Olive Oil Times that Oxitec’s application had been referred to the Catalan Biosafety Commission.
Before any decision was made, an exhaustive risk assessment of the proposed trial, a 30-day public information period, and consultation with experts and stakeholders were among steps required, involving both the Catalan commission and the Spanish National Commission of Biosafety.
She said the company was interested in using about 48 olive trees in Tarragona over an area of about 0.16ha and had indicated that it had also applied to release its flies in Italy and Greece.
Oxitec says its strain can quickly wipe out wild olive flies
Oxitec has yet to reply to requests from Olive Oil Times for more information.
However, Oxitec CEO Hadyn Parry told Spanish media that because female offspring of the Oxitec strain fail to reach adulthood, “they can’t mate and the plague gradually disappears.”
And in an article published in January, Michael Conway, a PhD student at the University of Oxford and Oxitec, said that in recent greenhouse trials, “Oxitec’s modified olive fly strain proved itself a highly effective weapon, totally eliminating a wild-type population in less than two months.”
“It is an approach that we are confident is more economic, greener, and more sustainable than any existing alternative,” he said.
Fears of escape and unforeseen impacts
Public interest scientific group Testbiotech’s spokesman Christoph Then said among the group’s fears was that male descendants of the GM flies, which unlike the females could mate and propagate further, would escape and spread without control.
“If the genetically engineered flies escape, the harvest in the regions concerned would become non-marketable. Genetically engineered larvae living inside the olives are not allowed for food consumption in the E.U.”
“The Oxitec insects are manipulated with synthetic DNA, which is a mix of maritime organisms, bacteria, viruses and other insects. It is not known how these insects will interact with changing environmental conditions, so far they have only been bred in the laboratory,” he said.
Sources:
Summary notification information format for the release of OX3097D olive fly, Oxitec, 3rd Jan 2013
Un ejército de moscas transgénicas podrían acabar con la mosca del olivo en Tarragona, 11/08/2013
Greece’s devastating oil fly threat: a solution
Plans to release genetically engineered flies in Spain and Italy, Testbioetech, August 2013
Further reading:
Una empresa inglesa pide liberar moscas transgénicas en Catalunya
Polémica desatada entre agricultores y ecologistas por el proyecto de las moscas transgénicas, 11 de agosto de 2013
Item 2
http://www.genewatch.org/article.shtml?als[cid]=571101&als[itemid]=573179
GeneWatch UK PR: Planned releases of genetically modified (GM) fruit flies should be halted until food contamination issues are addressed
Wednesday 4th September 2013
GeneWatch UK today called for a moratorium on proposed releases of genetically modified (GM) fruit flies and other agricultural pests into the environment, until the issue of GM insects in fruit and vegetable supplies has been properly addressed.
Earlier this year, UK company Oxitec applied to make mass experimental releases of millions of male GM olive fruit flies in Spain and GM Mediterranean fruit flies (Medfly) in Brazil. The company has also stated that it plans to release GM olive flies in Italy, Greece and Morocco. The female offspring of the flies are genetically programmed to die at the larval stage, in an attempt to crash the numbers of wild pests. However, large numbers of dead larvae (maggots) are expected to remain inside olives and fruit, where fruit flies lay their eggs, and to enter the food chain. The use of a "female-killing" approach means live male larvae (and any surviving female larvae) could also be transported around the world in contaminated fruit.
"Releasing Oxitec’s GM fruit flies is a deeply flawed approach to reducing numbers of these pests, because large numbers of their offspring will die as maggots in the fruit" said Dr Helen Wallace. "Not only does this fail to protect the crop, millions of GM fruit fly maggots (most dead, but some alive) will enter the food chain where they could pose risks to human health and the environment. Oxitec’s experiments should not go ahead until rules for safety testing and plans for labelling and segregation of contaminated fruits have been thoroughly debated and assessed. If these issues are ignored, growers could suffer serious impacts on the market for their crops".
GeneWatch UK today published its response to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as part of an ongoing complaint to the European Ombudsman about the EFSA’s development of Guidance on risk assessments for GM animals, including GM insects (1). EFSA failed to include any information about GM insects in the food chain in its consultation, breaching its own guidelines and requirements under the Aarhus convention to consult fully on environmental issues. Consumers, retailers and producers therefore remain unaware of potential impacts on the food chain, human health and global trade of releasing GM insects into the environment. GeneWatch UK is calling for full consultation, then implementation of the rules, followed by the necessary safety testing.
GeneWatch UK’s complaint also covers conflicts-of-interest on EFSA’s GM insects working group, especially the role of scientists at Oxford University, which is an investor in the company.
Releases of GM fruit flies could also have negative environmental impacts, many of which are covered by the EFSA Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance. One concern is a potential surge in other types of pest, such as olive moths and black scale insects.
For further information contact:
Dr Helen Wallace: 01298-24300 (office); 07903-311584 (mobile).
Notes for Editors:
(1) GeneWatch UK letter to European Ombudsman.30th August 2013.http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/GeneWatch_letter_ombudsman_Aug13_1.pdf