South Africa Rejects Monsanto’s Drought-Tolerant Maize

THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues

South Africa Rejects Monsanto’s Drought-Tolerant Maize

The South African government has refused a general release application for GM maize event MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603. The maize, developed by Monsanto, is genetically engineered to be tolerant to drought as well as resistant to certain insects. This is a final decision taken by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, following an appeals process (Item 1).

Monsanto had lodged an appeal against the South African Executive Council’s (EC) refusal of their general release application of the GM maize event in 2018. The matter was referred to the Appeal Board appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The Appeal Board upheld the EC’s decision to refuse the application.

Among the reasons cited for the rejection was that “The drought tolerance gene in the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event did not provide yield protection in water-limited conditions.” This corroborates what civil society organisations and independent biosafety experts have been consistently saying for the last decade, that there has been a lack of scientific data to substantiate claims of drought-tolerance (Item 2).

The decision notice from the Minister is reproduced below and available here: https://www.acbio.org.za/sites/default/files/documents/Minister%27s_final_decision_on_Monsanto_appeal.pdf

 

With best wishes,

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Item 1

Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Republic of South Africa
PUBLIC NOTICE:
03 October 2019

 

MINISTER’S FINAL DECISION ON THE APPEAL LODGED BY MONSANTO SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LIMITED UNDER THE GMO ACT, 1997

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has made a final decision on the appeal lodged by Monsanto South Africa (Pty) Limited against the decision taken by the Executive Council regarding the general release application of a genetically modified maize event MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603. The maize is genetically modified to be tolerant to drought as well as resistant to certain insects.

The Executive Council (EC) took a decision to refuse the application and the reasons for the refusal included the following:

*Kernel count per row and kernel count per ear showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event and conventional maize in water limited conditions.

*The yield benefits associated with the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event were inconsistent and in some trials the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event had lower yields than the conventional maize,

* The insect resistance data presented was insufficient since it was only collected from one trial site for two planting seasons.

Monsanto lodged an appeal against the EC’s refusal of their general release application of maize event MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 on 02 November 2018. The matter was referred to the appeal board appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in terms of Section 19 of the Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 1997 (Act No. 15 of 1997). The Appeal Board deliberated on the matter and upheld the EC’s decision to refuse the application and recommended that more sites and seasons are needed to demonstrate efficacy of the drought tolerance gene in MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event.

The reasons for the appeal board decision included the following:

* Kernel data cannot be used as the main criterion for efficacy of the drought tolerance trait; it can however be used as supporting evidence.

* The drought tolerance gene in the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event did not provide yield protection in water-limited conditions.

On 28 August 2019 the Minister made the final decision and upheld the Appeal Board’s decision and as such the refusal of a general release application for the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event is sustained.

For further information please contact the Registrar of the GMO Act at the following contact details:

Email: NompumeleloM@daff.gov.za
Tel: 012 319 6382
Fax: 012 319 6298

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Item 2

African Centre for Biodiversity
https://www.acbio.org.za/en/resounding-no-monsantos-bogus-gm-drought-tolerant-maize

RESOUNDING NO TO MONSANTO’S ‘BOGUS’ GM DROUGHT TOLERANT MAIZE 

SA minister, appeal board and biosafety authority reject Monsanto’s GM seeds

Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 October 2019

After more than 10 years of battling Monsanto’s ‘bogus’ drought tolerant maize project, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) welcomes the decision by the Minister of Agriculture, Ms. Thoko Didiza, upholding both the decision by the Executive Council: GMO Act and the Appeal Board to reject Monsanto’s application for the commercial cultivation of its triple stacked ‘drought-tolerant’ GM maize seed.

This landmark decision is a triumphant win for the ACB and other civil society organizations on the continent that have tirelessly resisted the introduction of these GM varieties in South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The Minister’s decision was made following the abject failure of the GM varieties to increase yield under drought conditions during repeated field trials in South Africa.

The Minister concluded what the ACB and independent biosafety experts have been saying for the last decade: that “the drought tolerance gene in the MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603 maize event did not provide yield protection in water-limited conditions”.

The stacked event, MON87460 x MON89034 x NK603, combines Monsanto’s so-called drought tolerance trait, with their older and increasingly futile herbicide tolerance and insecticidal traits.

Contrary to promises made by Monsanto, yield benefits were inconsistent and in some trials even showed lower yields than conventional maize. The decision also reveals that insect resistance data was insufficient since it came from only one trial site for only two planting seasons.

Significantly, the Minister and the Appeal body rejected attempts by Monsanto to claim that their drought tolerant trait was effective based merely on differences in maize kernel characteristics, despite lack of yield benefits, which in itself is not indicative of efficacy of a trait.

According to Mariam Mayet, Director of the ACB: “The data exposes the twisting and manipulation of science by Monsanto to promote sales of their ineffective, reductionist GM products for complex environmental, political and socio-economic challenges, such as climate change and poverty.

“The ACB has been exposing the lack of evidence of drought-tolerance since 2008, calling on Monsanto to prove the efficacy of this trait. But, as confirmed by the South African decision making bodies, Monsanto completely failed to provide scientific data to substantiate their claims,” Mayet further explains.

Backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, traits such as drought-tolerance are being peddled as the latest Western biotechnology solution to climate change and hunger eradication under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project.

The WEMA project is being implemented in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique, and purports to offer the GM drought tolerant maize to smallholder farmers in Africa as a “climate smart” solution to abiotic stresses such as drought.

The ACB is in the process of appealing an early government’s decision to approve the single drought tolerant trait MON87460. It remains to be seen if Monsanto will withdraw from the appeal case now that it is project has been dealt such a severe death-blow.

 

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For further information or interviews please contact:

Deidre May – ACB Communications Coordinator. Email: deidre@acbio.org.za

To view the decision notice from the Minister, please click the link below:
Download
Minister’s_final_decision_on_Monsanto_appeal.pdf

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