Assessment & Impacts

Principles and Approaches Genetic interactions in ecosystems are more dynamic and complex than acknowledged so far. Genetic change and genetic exchange phenomena seem to occur more frequently in nature than in laboratories, and may be regulated by unknown environmental factors. Local environmental conditions and chemical contaminants (pesticides and other xenobiotics), that will undoubtedly vary in concentrations and combinations between different locations are examples of such environmental factors. These may have impacts on the extent of horizontal gene transfer, and on how modified genes are expressed and affect the recipient organisms. Consequently, it is important to establish model systems in the laboratory, which mimic the ecological interactions and complexity of the real world.

Basis for risk assessment and management:
Risk and probability are not the same. Risk can be defined as the probability of an occurrence of an incident or phenomenon, multiplied by the consequences arising therefrom, if it occurs. At this moment we know little about both probability and consequences in relation to putative health and environmental effects of many genetic engineering applications.

Horizontal gene transfer: Horizontal gene transfer signifies a non-sexual transmission of genetic information within or between species. The phenomenon is common in nature, but our knowledge concerning ecological processes promoting such events and barriers prohibiting them is scanty.

Socio-economic considerations: The impact of genetically modified organisms goes beyond ecological and health dimensions. They have profound impact on society, including livelihoods, production systems, trade, culture and ethics.

The Socio-economic Aspects of GMOs and the Need for Applying Precautionary Principles

This paper examines the the socio-economic aspects of GMOs and calls for the application of the precautionary principle to protect communities from the adverse effects of GMOs. […]

Fatal Flaws in Food Safety Assessment: Critique of The Joint FAO/WHO Biotechnology and Food Safety Report

The Joint FAO/WHO Biotechnology and Food Safety Report shows up the glaring inadequacies in safety regulation of GE foods, designed to expedite product approval with little or no regard for biosafety. […]

Socio-Economic Considerations in Biosafety

An analysis of the impact of GMOs on traditional farming systems, the rights of indigenous peoples and the international laws that support socio-economic considerations in biosafety. […]

MRC Acknowledges GM Food Risks : Human Studies Proposed

A report by the UK Medical Research Council, published in June 2000, goes beyond what many other groups have done in acknowledging that GM foods do pose special risks. […]

Argentina’s GM Woes

Proponents claim that GM crops are necessary for fighting hunger in developing countries and decreasing the use of pesticides. The evidence shows otherwise. […]

The Cartagena Protocol – a battle over trade or biosafety?

The negotiations at Cartagena were doomed to failure, argues Lavanya Rajamani, given the backdrop in which they were conducted. The real battle was over trade, not biosafety. […]

Legal Declaration of Dr Richard Lacey on Food Safety Aspects of GE Crops

This is a statement made in the form of a legal declaration on the health risks of using genetic engineering in producing new plant varieties for food. It is by Dr Richard Lacey, an expert on food safety, who foresaw the BSE (mad cow disease) food crisis. […]

TWN report on Starlink scandal

This is a TWN report on the StarLink scandal. The discovery of GE StarLink corn, which has not been approved for human consumption, in food products in a number of countries, has raised widespread alarm over safety regulations, segregation and labelling. […]

Why Genetic Engineering is Hazardous

The dangers of genetic engineering, argues Dr Mae-Wan Ho, are inherent in the technology itself. She outlines the dangers of releasing GMOs into the environment and elucidates the possible links between genetic engineering and the resurgence of infectious […]

Damning findings by scientist raise alarm about safety of GM foods

When highly respected British scientist Dr Arpad Pusztai took on a publicly-funded research project to study the effects of GM crops on animal nutrition and the environment, little did he know his findings would place him in the midst of a controversy. […]