- BRUSSELS, Belgium (ENS) -
Farmers would face higher, and in some cases unsustainable, production
costs if genetically engineered crops were commercially grown on a large
scale basis in Europe, according to a secret European Union study leaked
to Greenpeace.
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- The study, "Co-existence in European Agriculture,"
predicts that the situation would become critical for organic farming of
staple foods such as oilseed rape as well as for intensive production of
potatoes and conventional maize, or corn.
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- The coexistence of genetically engineered farming and
organic farming would become impossible in many cases since all seeds would
be contaminated with genetically engineered traits to some extent, the
study concludes.
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- Commercialization of genetically engineered oilseed rape,
maize and potatoes would increase costs of farming to between nine and
41 percent, the study says. The increased cost of agricultural production
generally leads to increased cost of foods in the marketplace. The European
Commission ordered the study on the co-existence of genetically engineered
(GE) and non-GE crops in May 2000 from the Institute for Prospective Technological
Studies, of the European Union Joint Research Center.
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- According to Greenpeace, which for years has demonstrated
against genetically engineered crops, the study was delivered to the European
Commission in January 2002.
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- Within the study was a letter to the Commission from
the Director General of the EU Joint Research Center, Barry McSweeney,
stating that "given the sensitivity of the issue, I would suggest
that the report be kept for internal use within the Commission only."
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- Greenpeace released the leaked document on May 16.
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- In response to the report, Lorenzo Consoli, Greenpeace
EU policy advisor said, "The European Commission has tried to keep
this study secret. If the introduction of GE crops on a commercial scale
in Europe increases costs of production for all farmers, makes them more
dependent on the big seed companies, and would require complicated and
costly measures to avoid contamination, why should we accept GE cultivation
in the first place?"
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- The study, based on a combination of computer modeling
and expert opinion, analyzed the consequences of an increase in the share
of GE crops.
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- It focused on the three crops of which GE varieties are
currently available: winter oilseed rape for seed production now being
grown in France and Germany, grain maize for feed production in Italy and
France, and potatoes for direct consumption and food processing in the
UK and Germany.
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- The study covered several farm types, both organic and
conventional farming. It considered three different threshold levels for
genetic contamination: 0.1 percent, the analytical detection level for
all the crops, 0.3 percent for oilseed rape, and one percent for maize
and potatoes.
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- Greenpeace representatives say the study means that both
organic and conventional farmers could be forced to stop saving seed and
instead buy certified seed, because of the increased risk of GE impurity
for seeds that have been exposed to field contamination. Smaller farms
would face relatively higher costs compared to larger entities, and cultivation
of GE and non-GE crops in the same farm might be an unrealistic scenario,
even for larger farms, the study acknowledges.
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- Established in Seville, Spain in 1994, the Institute
for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) is one of seven institutes
making up the Joint Research Center. The task of the IPTS is to monitor
developments in science and technology, to analyze their impact on Europe
and the world, and to share these findings with European decision makers.
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- http://ens-news.com/ens/may2002/2002L-05-21-01.html
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