Brussels, Belgium
April 18, 2007
The EU Standing Committee on the
Food Chain and Animal Health will vote tomorrow, April 19, on
approval for the import and food and feed use of a stacked maize
product. With this vote, Member States will have the opportunity
to demonstrate that the EU’s updated regulatory framework for
approving safe GMOs is also compatible with the need to ensure
competitive, knowledge-based solutions to Europe’s economic
challenges.
The stacked maize product incorporating traits 1507 maize and
NK603 maize has been assessed to be as safe as conventional
maize by the European Food Safety Authority in its March 2006
opinion and has been approved in ten countries around the world.
Furthermore, both individual traits have already been approved
for import, food and feed use in the EU. Additionally, the
stacked 1507xNK603 maize combination was developed using
traditional plant breeding techniques and thus contains no new
genetic modifications – further reason why the EU should approve
this product at its meeting on April 19. The 1507 maize contains
no antibiotic resistance marker gene and the Bt protein
expressed in 1507 maize has a long history of safe use by
organic farmers.
“Member State officials now need to ensure that the EU’s
regulatory system allows European livestock producers and others
who depend on grain imports equal access to safe, innovative
products that are improving the sustainability and
competitiveness of producers in the rest of the world,” said
Alejandro Muñoz, vice president, Pioneer European Operations,
Pioneer Hi-Bred International,
Inc.
1507 maize is genetically modified with the Bt trait to provide
maize plants with environmentally-friendly protection against
destructive insect attacks. 1507 maize reduces the need to spray
maize crops with insecticide and, because it produces more grain
on the same land area, it improves farm productivity and
profitability – sustainable agriculture in practice. NK603 maize
confers tolerance to glyphosate, the active compound in a
herbicide commonly used for many years by farmers around the
world.
“Growing 1507xNK603 maize can allow farmers to be more
productive, with less cost and fewer farm inputs,” added Antonio
Galindez, Dow AgroSciences vice president for crops. “And
because maize bearing these traits provides its own insect
protection, the plants are healthier and less subject to damage
from insect vectors and disease.”
“1507xNK603 maize has been proven safe,” Muñoz said. “It is an
important tool of sustainable agriculture, and its approval
represents a test of Europe’s commitment to increasing
competitiveness. 1507xNK603 maize should be given a fair and
equitable opportunity to compete with other products already
approved in the EU, and Member States are urged to vote
positively on this dossier on Thursday.”
Pioneer Hi-Bred
International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's
leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock
producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in
Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant
genetics in nearly 70 countries.
DuPont is a science-based
products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts
science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a
better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating
in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of
innovative products and services for markets including
agriculture and food; building and construction; communications;
and transportation.
Dow AgroSciences LLC, based
in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top tier agricultural
company providing innovative crop protection, pest and
vegetation management, seed, and agricultural biotechnology
solutions to serve the world's growing population. Global sales
for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow
Chemical Company, are $3.4 billion.
BACKGROUND
Pioneer Hi-Bred International,
Inc. as represented by Pioneer Overseas Corporation (a DuPont
subsidiary) in conjunction with Mycogen Seeds, (a Dow
AgroSciences subsidiary) submitted two applications for EU
approvals of 1507xNK603 maize (one for cultivation and one for
import and food/feed use). Each dossier and corresponding
approval process are treated separately, and Pioneer and Dow
AgroSciences believe the full benefits of 1507xNK603 maize will
be realised once approvals for import for all food and feed uses
as well as cultivation are granted by the European Union.
1. Food, feed and import application
(Ref: EFSA-GMO-UK-2004-05)
- Application submitted
under Reg. (EC) 1829/03 to EFSA via the Competent Authority
of the United Kingdom on September 27, 2004
- EFSA acknowledgement as a
valid application on April 1, 2005
- EFSA adopted a positive
scientific opinion on March 28, 2006 and an overall opinion
in accordance with Articles 6 and 18 of Regulation (EC)
1829/03 on May 12, 2006
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gm_ff_applications/more_info/650_en.html
- Following the overall
opinion from the EFSA, the European Commission is expected
to issue a Decision for Member State consideration and vote
at the corresponding Standing Committee.
2. Food,
feed and cultivation application (Ref: EFSA-GMO-UK-2005-17)
- Application submitted
under Reg. (EC) 1829/03 to EFSA via the Competent
Authority of the United Kingdom on June 14, 2005
- EFSA acknowledgement
as a valid application on March 10, 2006
- EFSA review ongoing
1507xNK603 maize detection method validated
In accordance with Regulation (EC) 1829/03 and in line
with the above applications for approval of 1507xNK603
maize, Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences provided the
Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) with information on
the performance on 1507xNK603 maize of the previously
validated event-specific quantitative PCR detection
methods for 1507 and NK603 maize. The detection method
for the quantification of 1507xNK603 maize was validated
on November 28, 2005 and the validated method is
publicly available from the JRC-CRL website:
http://gmo-crl.jrc.it/summaries/DAS1507xNK603%20val_report.pdf
Summary of safety of 1507 maize:
1507 maize meets the latest EU regulatory requirements,
part of which were the condition for the termination of
the EU moratorium on new GMO approvals
- 1507 maize meets
all the latest EU safety evaluations
- Bt has a 40-year
history of safe use, including use by organic
growers
- The Cry1F and PAT
proteins expressed in 1507 maize are not toxic or
allergenic to humans or animals
- The Cry1F protein
confers resistance to target insect pests and
reduces the need for spraying
- 1507 maize
contains no antibiotic resistance marker gene
(Instead, the PAT protein conferring tolerance to
glufosinate-ammonium herbicide was used as the
selectable genetic marker.)
- 1507 maize poses
no concerns with hybridisation with wild populations
in the EU
- 1507 maize is
substantially and nutritionally equivalent to, and
as safe as, conventional maize
- No adverse
environmental impact of 1507 maize compared to
conventional maize
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