SUBMISSION OF OBJECTIONS BY THE AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY (ACB). OBJECTION TO APPLICATION BY DOW AGROSCIENCES TRIPLE STACKED GM MAIZE, EVENTS, 1507 x NK603 x 59199.

Read objection here.

OVERVIEW

The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has to date, lodged objections to the following applications by Dow Agrosciences for commodity import clearance: – GM Maize event 59122 – GM Maize event 59122xTC 1507 – GM Maize event 59122x NK603 We will thus not repeat the grounds upon which we have based our comprehensive objections, but reiterate them here, and request that the Executive Council take these into account in considering this application. For more details on those three GM maize events read the respective pages on this web site. FURTHER GROUNDS FOR OUT OF HAND REJECTION

  • GM 59122 NOT YET APPROVED IN USA/NOT BEING GROWN IN USA

    We are utterly amazed that Dow Agrosciences is persisting in seeking regulatory approval for the current GM maize event 1507x 59122 x NK 603, in the light that the cry genes Bt Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 used in event 59122 have not yet been registered by the Environment Protection Authority in the USA. According to information at our disposal from our sources in the USA, the GM maize in question, containing the triple gene is thus not yet in commerical production in the USA or any where else in the world.

  • FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR SA GOVT’S MORATORIUM

    Dow Agrosciences is keen to break into the GM seed market and is hence seeking approval for its GM maize varieties in the hope that it can convince farmers in the US to plant its GM maize in other words, that there is a market in South Africa for this GM maize. We find this application to be deeply offensive to us, as it is highly disreptful of decision by the South African Executive Council not to grant any further approvals of new GM applications until such time that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has conducted its socio-economic studies of the impacts of GM imports on South African society and the economy.

  • NEW IMPORTANT FOOD SAFETY STUDY TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

    During 2005, scientists, Prescott VE et al., 2005, published their work ‘Transgenic expression of bean alpha amylase inhibitor in peas results in altered structure and immunogencity, J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:9023-9030’ on GE immunogenicity which shows that even moving a gene to a closely related plant resulted in changing protein to an immunogen in mice that has properties similar to allergenicity. This resulted in the developers of the GM crop (pea) to voluntarily withdraw their crop from consideration for safety review and commercialistion.

  • ABUSE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S REGULATORY SYSTEM

    It is becoming customary for mulitinational gene giants/agrochemical companies to abuse the South African regulatory system and seek food safety approvals (commodity clearances) for GM maize that is still undergoing field trials in the US. Monsanto has tried to obtain food safety approval in 2004 for its non-existent GM wheat, and now Dow Agrociences, and in May 2005, Syngenta sought commodity clearance for its GM maize MIR 604 which had not yet been approved in the USA.

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